AMD XDNA Ryzen AI Linux Kernel Driver Posted For Review

[phoronix]

Phoronix: AMD XDNA Ryzen AI Linux Kernel Driver Posted For Review

Back in January AMD quietly posted an XDNA Linux kernel driver for enabling the Ryzen AI NPUs. The driver has been maintained within that GitHub repository since but without any clear effort for getting this accelerator driver reviewed and merged into the upstream Linux kernel. Today that first step is finally being taken with the Ryzen AI XDNA Linux kernel driver patches posted to the Linux kernel mailing list and dri-devel to begin facilitating the upstream review process for getting this AI accelerator driver in the mainline kernel...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/AMD-XDNA-Ryzen-AI-Driver-Patch

[Mitch]

Is there any reason to think one day Linux could use AI / GPU acceleration for certain kernel tasks? Are they doing any of that today?

If I recall, GPUs are fairly good at matrix related work and NPUs are fairly good at certain workloads. Not sure if the kernel does the kind of work that would benefit, but I've always wondered.

Total non-expert here

[rob-tech]

As usual, if it's not Windows it is a second class citizen, people have paid for hardware that will only become usable after over 1.5 years of ownership. AMD still is the best open source option, however, it is a low bar and nothing to praise really. We still have to edit files and add command line arguments in 2024 for GPU features that take a few GUI clicks to enable in Windows.

[pWe00Iri3e7Z9lHOX2Qx]

This whole thing started out in a bizarre manner with users needing to essentially upvote a GitHub issue about Linux support.

AMD: 'Do you want the hardware you paid for to function in Linux?'

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Ryzen-AI-For-Linux-Requests

[agd5f]

This whole thing started out in a bizarre manner with users needing to essentially upvote a GitHub issue about Linux support.

AMD: 'Do you want the hardware you paid for to function in Linux?'



https://www.phoronix.com/news/Ryzen-...Linux-Requests

I don't know the history on that thread or who was driving it, but internally Linux support was always planned. I think we even had the Linux driver up and running before windows because most of the xilinx hardware was historically Linux only. That said, making use of it is easier on windows because MS has enabled the ecosystem via windows (Teams enhancements and the AI PC stuff). Other than demos, there are not a lot of use cases on Linux for this stuff today.

[timofonic]

I don't know the history on that thread or who was driving it, but internally Linux support was always planned. I think we even had the Linux driver up and running before windows because most of the xilinx hardware was historically Linux only. That said, making use of it is easier on windows because MS has enabled the ecosystem via windows (Teams enhancements and the AI PC stuff). Other than demos, there are not a lot of use cases on Linux for this stuff today.

I hope AMD not only makes drivers, but activate the Linux AI ecosystem too.

I see a lot more possibilities of using properly an NPU on Linux than on Windows. More flexibility, more usecases.

Microsoft is an autocracy, Linux is a mix of oligopoly-democracy-anarchism.

AMD needs to wake up. Even massive GPGPU support for consumer GPUs.

OpenCL is a joke, please merge all features and frameworks and all development stuff to Vulkan. OpenCL 1.2 vs 2.0 vs 3.0 vs WTF is a damn bad joke too.

[gentoofu]

I hope AMD not only makes drivers, but activate the Linux AI ecosystem too.

I see a lot more possibilities of using properly an NPU on Linux than on Windows. More flexibility, more usecases.

Microsoft is an autocracy, Linux is a mix of oligopoly-democracy-anarchism.

AMD needs to wake up. Even massive GPGPU support for consumer GPUs.

OpenCL is a joke, please merge all features and frameworks and all development stuff to Vulkan. OpenCL 1.2 vs 2.0 vs 3.0 vs WTF is a damn bad joke too.

Speaking of jokes, you initially wrote this in the thread pWe00Iri3e7Z9lHOX2Qx linked above, then you want AMD to activate the Linux AI ecosystem lol

What AI can be useful on Linux? Generste scripts? Trolling on blogs? Write klingon poems?

So you want AMD to wake up so you can read your klingon poems? Or to expand your trolling skill?

[Alex Doe]

We still have to edit files and add command line arguments in 2024 for GPU features that take a few GUI clicks to enable in Windows.

So we are quite ahead since command line tools are superior to GUI. Take a look at Microsft recommending Server Core instead of full Server installataion and Cisco ditching web gui in favor of cli all together.

[duby229]

I don't know the history on that thread or who was driving it, but internally Linux support was always planned. I think we even had the Linux driver up and running before windows because most of the xilinx hardware was historically Linux only. That said, making use of it is easier on windows because MS has enabled the ecosystem via windows (Teams enhancements and the AI PC stuff). Other than demos, there are not a lot of use cases on Linux for this stuff today.

AI Upscaling and Frame Generation ffs!! Come on man!! This should be pretty damn obvious by now!! Do you guys even follow what's going what's going on in the world?

EDIT: Do you guys have ANY communication between each other at AMD at all?

EDIT: You guys should be introducing the first use cases for your brand new hardware!! Give us a reason to want it!

[anda_skoa]

I think we even had the Linux driver up and running before windows because most of the xilinx hardware was historically Linux only.

So you were in a situation similar to a Formula One race when a team's secondary driver is in the lead but being told to wait for the primary so that they can finish first?

"Good job Linux team! But you know company policy says we release on Windows first. Why don't you take some time off until they are ready?"