AMD has begun releasing driver patches for next-gen GPUs through its recently adopted approach of utilizing individual IP blocks for future driver releases.
AMD Is at Forefront When it Comes to Linux Kernel Drivers, Company Plans Early Next-Gen GPU Support
For a quick recap, AMD has taken a new approach to releasing drivers on the Linux kernel with the aim of easing device enumeration. The change is adopting important driver changes through IP/hardware blocks rather than huge patches at a time. While this approach takes longer time and dedication, it is advantageous for less hard-coded information within the driver and makes it well-compiled, which comes as a clutch when solving a specific problem.
AMD has shifted to individual IP block-releasing methods with its RDNA 3 GPU architecture. The company has recently released several patches labeled as "PSP." This time the new IP block is called PSP 14.0 and is much similar to previous launches since it follows the same code path. The release of such blocks has recently witnessed an increase, and AMD is expected to release several IP blocks in the future.
Speaking of future releases, AMD has uploaded several new firmware files for IP blocks, this time surprisingly very early. It is the first time the files are seen on the "Linux-firmware.git", including SMU 13.0.10, SDMA 6.0.3, PSP 13.0.10, and GC 11.0.3. One crucial detail to note is that these firmware releases are for any current-gen GPUs and are intended for next-gen launches, possibly the Radeon RX 7700/7800 series, which are expected to be unveiled in Q3 2023.
Several companies in the GPU industry have diverted their attention toward making improvements within the Linux kernel. Companies like Intel are rapidly releasing driver optimizations for its Arc lineup. However, we can say that AMD is in the lead for now, and through its new "IP blocks" method, it certainly will provide extensive support for next-gen graphics on Linux kernel drivers.
News Source: Phoronix
