Major AMD Catalyst Linux Update Expected Next Week

Due out next week is a very significant update to AMD's Catalyst Linux graphics driver as they continue to work towards the unified AMD Linux driver strategy.

There hasn't been an AMD Catalyst Linux update in more than two months but it looks like the update due out next week will be worth the wait. This next AMD Catalyst Linux update due out on Tuesday, 9 December, will bring VA-API video decoding support (finally an alternative to using the ill-adopted, AMD-specific XvBA API), OpenGL ES 3.0 support, OpenCL 2.0, AMD FreeSync support on Linux, OpenMP 3.1 over HSA, and Linux packaging improvements. There's also 5K x 3K display support, frame pacing for Dual Graphics, and other enhancements for both the Windows and Linux graphics drivers. At least under Windows, there's very significant performance optimizations due out too.

This driver will presumably be marked in the fglrx 14.50 series after talking about it in September and finally now materializing.

Stay tuned for more coverage and Linux graphics benchmarks next week. Next week's driver though is not expected to utilize or depend upon the forthcoming "AMDGPU" kernel driver that has yet to be published.