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.