News stories tagged with #Linux
The Linux kernel receives significant updates, including the resumption of maintenance for the Loongson display driver, AMD's new 'pghot' patches to enhance memory management, and NVIDIA's scheduler optimizations for CPU-intensive workloads. These improvements aim to boost performance on memory- and CPU-heavy workloads through better SMT-awareness and integration with upcoming hardware platforms. The changes are expected to land in upcoming kernel releases such as Linux 7.1.
Crimson Desert: Graphics Issues and Performance Tests – Linux, Windows, and Mac Compared
The PC test of Crimson Desert reveals impressive graphics with high technical demands, but also numerous issues such as image noise and pop-in, especially with ray tracing enabled. Linux with Mesa 26 shows significant improvement in ray tracing tests with AMD graphics cards, while Windows 11 remains faster. The new MacBooks with M5 chips deliver a notable GPU performance boost. Frame generation technologies like DLSS and FSR increase frame rates but introduce latency and uneven frametimes.
The Linux distribution Peropesis 3.2 has been released, continuing its focus on a pure command-line environment with Kernel 6.18.2 and Bash 5.3. Meanwhile, the fourth iteration of Virtual Swap Space patches aims to enhance Linux's swap design, while Linux 7.1 is expected to bring working HDMI support for the affordable Lichee Pi 4A RISC-V board. Additionally, Blender 5.1 delivers noticeable CPU rendering performance improvements on Linux systems.
Linux 7.1: Enhanced Power Management, Expanded Hardware Support, and Improved API Documentation
The Linux 7.1 kernel introduces significant improvements, including a unified C-states table for Intel Panther Lake processors to enhance power management, enhanced support for AMD Ryzen AI NPUs, and preparation for UHBR DP tunnels in the Intel graphics driver. It also removes UDP-Lite to streamline networking code, integrates HID drivers for the Lenovo Legion Go gaming handhelds, and advances the Linux Kernel API Specification Framework beyond the RFC stage. These updates improve performance, hardware compatibility, and kernel documentation.
Mesa 26.1 Advances Mesh Shading, PowerVR Support, and PS5 Porting
Mesa 26.1 delivers major advancements in the open-source graphics driver landscape: LLVMpipe now supports mesh shaders and GLSL 4.60, Imagination's PowerVR Vulkan driver integrates seamlessly with Zink OpenGL, and initial patches have been submitted to support the Sony PS5 GPU. These updates significantly expand compatibility and performance across Linux graphics systems.
Mesa 26.0.2 and Linux Updates: AMD, Valve, and Old Radeon Cards in Focus
The Linux graphics driver landscape is seeing a wave of updates: Mesa 26.0.2 delivers numerous bug fixes for Intel, AMD, and legacy Radeon cards, while AMD announces its Ryzen AI Embedded processors with Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 for automotive and industrial use. Valve is exploring enhanced per-game optimizations for the RADV driver, and D7VK 1.5 completes support for legacy Direct3D APIs via Vulkan. Meanwhile, the distributions EndeavourOS and CachyOS have released new versions featuring the latest drivers.
The new EndeavourOS 2026.03.06, named after the moon Titan, is based on Linux kernel 6.19.6 and introduces installer improvements such as Vulkan driver support and enhanced hardware detection. Meanwhile, Intel’s Compute Runtime 26.09.37435.1 delivers new features and performance optimizations for Intel graphics hardware on both Windows and Linux, including multi-device support and future platform readiness. These updates collectively enhance user experience and graphics performance across modern computing environments.
Nvidia has released a new beta driver for Linux, significantly boosting GeForce GPU performance through enhanced Vulkan extensions and optimizations. CEO Jensen Huang emphasized Nvidia’s pivotal role in shaping the modern gaming industry and hailed Openclaw as the most important software release of all time. Meanwhile, the Vulkan API introduced the VK_KHR_device_address_commands extension, enabling direct use of device addresses. Early benchmarks of the new 595 driver showed substantial improvements in OpenGL, Vulkan, and GPU compute tasks, particularly on GeForce RTX 50 series cards.
AMD is preparing a new CPPC Performance Priority feature for Linux, targeting future Zen 6 processors. Meanwhile, Linux From Scratch 13.0 has been released with Linux kernel 6.18.10, and the Maui.Gtk project introduces a GTK4 backend for Microsoft's .NET MAUI. In a separate development, SUSE could be sold by EQT for up to $6 billion, marking another potential ownership change.
Starting with Linux 7.1, the kernel will automatically power off systems upon fatal ACPI errors to comply with standards. AMD has enhanced its AMDGPU and AMDKFD drivers with support for DCN 4.2, GFX 12.1, and 57-bit memory addressing, while also enabling Display Core by default for GCN 1.1 APUs. Linux 7.0 introduced a performance optimization for epoll that boosts network throughput by 1.5% on AMD Zen 2 CPUs. Additionally, AMD has expanded its Ryzen AI Embedded P100 family with 8, 10, and 12-core processors based on Zen 5 architecture, targeting industrial, automotive, and edge computing markets with availability from Q3 2026.
Intel is enhancing its Linux integration with features like Linear Address Masking and Directed Package Thermal Interrupts to support future security technologies such as ChkTag and improved thermal management. Meanwhile, the Linux kernel is preparing for IBPB-on-Entry support in AMD SEV-SNP guest virtual machines to defend against speculative execution attacks. In parallel, Nvidia continues to dominate the dedicated desktop graphics card market with a 94% share, despite a 4.5% decline in quarterly sales. These developments highlight the convergence of hardware innovation, software security, and market dynamics shaping the future of computing.
Linux 7.1 and 7.0-rc3: Expanded Hardware Support for ASUS, Dell, and Intel GPU Development
With the new Linux kernel versions 7.1 and 7.0-rc3, ASUS, Dell, HP, and OneXPlayer devices gain expanded hardware support. Notably, Linux 7.1 introduces enhanced sensor monitoring for ASUS motherboards, including VRM, temperature, and water cooling, while Intel's Arc Pro B70 Pro-Viz GPU has been tested using the BMG-G31 die. These advancements improve compatibility and performance across a wide range of systems.
AMD Readies Linux Ecosystem for Zen 6 EPYC with Enhanced Profiling and Power Control Features
AMD is preparing the Linux ecosystem for its upcoming Zen 6 processors, particularly the EPYC Venice lineup. The company is introducing enhanced instruction-based sampling (IBS) support with features like RIP bit 63 filtering and fetch latency thresholds, along with finer power controls and improved system monitoring via the HSMP Linux driver. These updates aim to provide developers with advanced tools for performance analysis and system optimization.
Mesa Developers Reach Consensus on AI Policy – Intel and AMD Advance Linux Graphics Drivers
Mesa developers are finalizing an AI policy for their open-source graphics drivers, while Intel and AMD advance Linux graphics support. Intel has submitted Xe3 driver improvements for the Linux 7.1 kernel, AMD has open-sourced the ROCprof Trace Decoder, and ARCTIC Cooling released a Linux fan controller driver. Meanwhile, several Intel kernel drivers have become orphaned due to engineer departures, highlighting ongoing challenges in open-source maintenance.
Linux 7.0-rc3 Released: Major Updates for AMD and Intel CPUs, Drivers, and Security
Linux 7.0-rc3 has been released, marking one of the largest release candidates in recent history. It includes significant updates for AMDXDNA Ryzen AI drivers, graphics drivers, and security and performance enhancements for both Intel and AMD CPUs. Linus Torvalds noted the unusually large size due to a backlog of contributions. The kernel will serve as the default for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Fedora 44, with ongoing testing to stabilize it before the final release.
Intel Enhances Graphics Drivers for Linux and Arc GPUs with Performance Gains
Intel has implemented a minor optimization in its ANV Vulkan driver for Linux, improving DirectX 12 game performance through Steam Play and VKD3D-Proton by enhancing push constant data usage, delivering around a 1% performance boost in some cases. Additionally, Intel released Graphics Driver 32.0.101.8531, optimized for Arc GPUs in the A and B series as well as integrated graphics, promising up to 40% higher performance in Resident Evil Requiem. Performance gains vary by hardware, with the A series showing significantly better results than the B series. These updates highlight Intel's ongoing efforts to enhance its open-source graphics drivers for gaming on Linux and modern GPUs.
Intel has scrapped its planned acquisition of AI chip company SambaNova and instead agreed to a strategic partnership based on Xeon CPUs. The company also released technical details on its Granite Rapids-WS Xeon 600 processors, including reduced boost speeds due to AVX-512 and AMX instructions, and issued an updated microcode for the Granite Rapids D series to fix hardware-specific issues. These developments reflect Intel's evolving strategy in the competitive AI hardware market while addressing ongoing technical challenges.
OptiScaler Enables FSR 4 on Vulkan – Community Surpasses AMD's Official Support
With the test build 0.9.0-pre10, the open-source tool OptiScaler has enabled FSR 4 in Vulkan games for the first time by using a DirectX 12 bridge. This achievement comes despite AMD officially limiting FSR 4 to RDNA-4 graphics cards and DirectX 12 titles, with no native Vulkan support yet available. The community and modders have thus provided a workaround, allowing many modern Vulkan games to benefit from the upscaling technology, although some issues persist due to missing Mesa extensions.
Panther Lake: Performance Gains Amid 18A Manufacturing Discrepancies
A new report raises concerns over whether Intel has met its promised technical targets with its 18A manufacturing process for the Panther Lake processor, particularly regarding a minimum M0 pitch of 36 nanometers instead of the claimed 32 nanometers. Meanwhile, a benchmark study comparing Intel laptop CPUs from 2008 to 2026 reveals Panther Lake to be up to 95 times faster than the 2008 Penryn, with a geometric mean performance gain of 21.5x across over 150 tests, highlighting major advances in performance and power efficiency on Linux. The results underscore significant generational progress despite ongoing questions about process implementation.
Linux 7.0 Prepares for PCIe 7.0 and Upcoming AMD Zen 6 & Intel Nova Lake Hardware
The Linux 7.0 kernel is introducing early preparations for PCIe 7.0, including register definitions, speed detection, and power efficiency improvements, though no hardware is available yet. It also brings key updates for upcoming AMD Zen 6 and Intel Nova Lake processors, along with new CPU and GPU driver features. Performance optimizations and enhanced support for embedded, mobile, and high-performance computing systems are also included. These developments highlight the Linux kernel’s ongoing adaptation to future hardware and performance demands.