AMDgpu (Linux kernel module) explained

AMDgpu
AMDgpu
Released:1.0 / [1]
Latest Release Version:5.11.32.21.40
Latest Release Date:[2]
Repo:github.com/radeonopencompute/rock-kernel-driver
Programming Language:C
Operating System:Linux
Platform:x86-64
Genre:Device driver
License:MIT License

AMDgpu is an open source device driver for the Linux operating system developed by AMD to support its Radeon lineup of graphics cards (GPUs). It was announced in 2014 as the successor to the previous radeon device driver as part of AMD's new "unified" driver strategy,[3] and was released on April 20, 2015.[4]

Development

It takes the form of an in-tree kernel module.

As of 2022, AMD Kernel Fusion Driver (KFD) is now integrated in this one kernel module. AMD KFD development at AMD is part of ROCm, under the ROCk project.

Distribution

AMDgpu has been fully upstreamed and new developments continue to do so.

As AMDgpu is part of the monolithic Linux kernel, it is shipped by most Linux distributions directly. The package suite / install script amdgpu-pro, distributed by AMD directly from AMD Radeon Software, ships an AMDgpu kernel module somewhat reliably more up-to-date compared to that of kernels shipped in regular operating system distributions.

Community

The development of the kernel module happens between AMD and the Linux maintainers, discussions happen on the freedesktop.org mailing lists[5] [6] - freedesktop being home to major Linux graphics projects such as Mesa, libdrm, Xorg, Wayland.

Support

AMDgpu officially supports cards built upon GCN 1.2 or higher, including new instruction sets such as RDNA1&2, CDNA.

Support issues

Though support for GCN 1.0/1.1 is incomplete,[7] it can be enabled by a kernel parameter[8] [9] and some Linux distributions enabled it by default.[10]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Initial amdgpu driver release. 20 April 2015.
  2. Web site: AMDgpu version bump. . 17 September 2021.
  3. Web site: Larabel . Michael . October 8, 2014 . The Slides Announcing The New "AMDGPU" Kernel Driver . April 11, 2023 . Phoronix . en.
  4. Web site: Larabel . Michael . April 20, 2015 . AMD Releases New "AMDGPU" Linux Kernel Driver & Mesa Support . April 11, 2023 . Phoronix . en.
  5. Web site: The dri-devel Archives. 2021-02-01.
  6. Web site: The amd-gfx Archives. 2021-02-01.
  7. Web site: Defaulting Radeon GCN 1.0/1.1 GPUs To Better Linux Driver Is Held Up By Analog Outputs. live. 2021-03-09. Phoronix. https://web.archive.org/web/20200805222842/https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=AMDGPU-GCN-1.0-Analog-Block . 2020-08-05 .
  8. News: AMD Unleashes Initial AMDGPU Driver Support For GCN 1.0 / Southern Islands GPUs. Phoronix. 2016-05-13. 2017-04-05.
  9. Web site: AMDgpu driver documentation. Freedesktop.org.
  10. Web site: Mageia 8 RC1 Brings AMDGPU For GCN 1.0/1.1, NVIDIA GLVND, Linux 5.10 LTS. live. 2021-03-09. Phoronix. https://web.archive.org/web/20210207043011/https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Mageia-8-RC1-Released . 2021-02-07 .