Python 3.8 is a version of the popular programming language Python, released in October 2019. It introduced several new features, including the assignment expression, often referred to as the "walrus operator" (:=), which allows for assignment within expressions. This version also improved the performance of the language and added new syntax features, making code more concise and readable. Additionally, Python 3.8 included enhancements to the standard library, such as the math module's new functions and the typing module's improvements for type hinting. These updates help developers write cleaner, more efficient code while maintaining compatibility with previous versions of Python.