The Linux kernel is the heart of the Android operating system and is responsible for process management, memory management, and enforcing security on the device. After the kernel is loaded, it mounts the root filesystem (rootfs) and provides access to system and user data:

• Step A: When the memory management units and caches have been initialized, the system can use virtual memory and launch user space processes.
• Step B: The kernel will look in the rootfs for the init process and launch it as the initial user space process: