VK_KHR_8bit_storage Gets Wired Into Intel's ANV Vulkan Driver, Patches Available

One of three new Vulkan extensions introduced in this weekend's Vulkan 1.1.80 specification update is VK_KHR_8bit_storage for providing 8-bit types is now available in patch form for the Intel open-source "ANV" Vulkan Linux driver.

Intel ANV developer Jason Ekstrand sent out initial 1.1.80 bits and wiring in VK_KHR_create_renderpass2. Now Igalia developer Jose Maria Casanova Crespo has sent out nine patches for enabling the 8-bit storage extension for the ANV driver.

The VK_KHR_8bit_storage extension allows for 8-bit types within uniform/storage buffers and push constant blocks. The Intel back-end has already supported some 8-bit operations, so it's not all that bad getting out the ANV support so quickly. In total it's just over 100 additional lines of code for this latest Vulkan extension.

Separately but also on the Vulkan 1.1.80 front, Valve Linux GPU driver developer Samuel Pitoiset has sent out patches for enabling the VK_KHR_create_renderpass2 extension in the RADV driver.

Hopefully all of this work will get squared away in time for the Mesa 18.2 branching that is set to take place in about two weeks.