DRM Driver Posted For AI Processing Unit - Initially Focused On Mediatek SoCs

[phoronix]

Phoronix: DRM Driver Posted For AI Processing Unit - Initially Focused On Mediatek SoCs

BayLibre developer Alexandre Bailon has posted a "request for comments" of a new open-source Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) driver for AI Processing Unit (APU) functionality. Initially the driver is catering to Mediatek SoCs with an AI co-processor but this DRM "APU" driver could be adapted to other hardware too...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=DRM-AI-APU-RFC

[Developer12]

I guess this could become the template for what an "AI accelerator as (GP)GPU" could look like. In other words, a template for how to integrate non-graphics accelerators into the GPU tree, complete with open source userspace tools and libraries etc.

I really don't see anything wrong with putting accelerators in the tree for accelerators, whether they do graphics or not. If you ignore whether the thing being processed is an image they share a lot of technical similarities and have similar pitfalls for developers and users alike when the stack isn't open source.

[archsway]

I tried compiling this for my MT8183 Chromebook, but it seems like there must be some patch that I'm missing because it doesn't compile:

arch/arm64/boot/dts/mediatek/mt8183-kukui.dtsi:221.12-225.4: ERROR (phandle_references): /apu_drm@0: Reference to non-existent node or label "apu0"
arch/arm64/boot/dts/mediatek/mt8183-kukui.dtsi:221.12-225.4: ERROR (phandle_references): /apu_drm@0: Reference to non-existent node or label "apu1"
ERROR: Input tree has errors, aborting (use -f to force output)

[xeekei]

"APU" is taken, damn it!

[Developer12]

"APU" is taken, damn it!

A bit like DRM and DRM. :/

[microcode]

If I'm understanding correctly, they have hardware implementing a VirtIO interface... awesome. I love it. Hardware ABI standardization is what HALs should have been.

[extremesquared]

"APU" is taken, damn it!

In radio communications LOS means both Line of Sight, and Loss of Signal. Having LOS prevents LOS. I have a number of complaints for whoever is in charge of these.

Presumably, passenger jets with advanced avionics packages will have a few APUs, some small and quiet, some big and noisy.