The massive set of Linux kernel graphics/display driver Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) updates were sent out and merged today for the Linux 7.0 kernel. This also includes the growing work around accelerator “accel” drivers for AI NPUs and the like.
As with most kernel cycles, the graphics driver changes for Linux 7.0 include a lot of changes to the Intel and AMD drivers. There is also growing work still around Nova-Core as the future open-source NVIDIA Linux driver. Plus lots of work to the smaller graphics/display drivers too. Linux 7.0 DRM feature highlights include:
– AMDGPU has enabled support for a lot of new hardware IP blocks for upcoming APUs and GPUs. This includes new GFX 11.5.4 as another RDNA 3.5 “refresh” variant, initial GFX12.1 hardware, and various other IP block versions. AMDKFD is also ready with GFX11.5.4 and GFX12.1 support.
– AMDKFD also now brings per-context support.
– The Intel Xe driver has contiuned enabling more functionality around SR-IOV as well as Shared Virtual Memory (SVM) as part of their Project Battlematrix initiatives and preparing for next-gen Crescent Island AI accelerator hardware. Among the SR-IOV work is SR-IOV PF MERT support, SR-IOV V migration, and other functionality. On the SVM side is multi-device SVM.
– Various fixes and improvements for Intel Panther Lake.
– Intel Battlemage frame-buffer compression (FBC) support is finally in place.
– The Intel VFIO PCI driver has been merged for Intel graphics.
– Intel’s multi-queue support is now merged for Crescent Island.
– Intel Nova Lake display support.
– Exposing more Intel graphics card temperature sensors under Linux.
– Continued enabling of more DRM subsystem functionality for use from Rust code.
– Continued work on the modern NVIDIA Nova-Core driver and preparing for landing Turing support. We’ll see if the NVIDIA Turing GPU support is finally ready for Nova come the Linux v7.1 cycle…
– Nouveau meanwhile has fixed the big page table support for larger pages and in turn compression support.
– GEM memory management work to reduce page table overhead with Transparent Hugepages (THP).
– Dropping KGDB debugger integration from the DRM core code as it’s unmaintained and unworkable for modern hardware.
– The Qualcomm MSM driver has more Adreno graphics work for their latest hardware like the Adreno 840.
– Hardware context priority support for the AMDXDNA Ryzen AI NPU driver, removing the NPU2 support that never shipped in any products, and other improvements.
– PPU flop reset support for the Etnaviv driver for Vivante hardware.
– AM62P support in the Imagination PowerVR driver.
– The Panfrost DRM driver now supports the buffer object synchronization ioctl as does the Panthor DRM driver too.
– The Rockchip DRM driver now supports the RK3368 SoC while also enabling support at large for the RK3506.
See this pull request for the now-merged Linux 7.0 DRM changes.
