
Imagination is now hiring for skilled driver developers to be "a founder of our new Linux open source graphics driver project." Imagination is currently hiring for Linux open-source graphics drivers. This just isn't an open kernel driver but is said to be both for open-source kernel and Mesa drivers. "We need you to join the Linux driver development team and put your software development skills to the test. You will focus on developing a new Linux open source graphics driver stack, including Mesa and kernel-mode drivers. You will be a member of a small team, working alongside other software teams implementing the existing driver stack for PowerVR graphics hardware."
This open-source driver would be for both current and next-gen graphics hardware.
I'm cautiously optimistic, but let's not forget five years ago Imagination was also hiring for open-source graphics driver developers and not much came out of that effort. Hell for nearly a decade has been talk at different times of varying open-source PowerVR drivers.
At least compared to years ago, these days there are multiple embedded graphics processors supported by open-source kernel DRM drivers and within Mesa a growing number of drivers like Freedreno/Turnip, Broadcom V3D, Panfrost, and others. With support for licensing PowerVR graphics for even SiFive RISC-V SoCs now, having an open-source driver does make this possibility more appealing. Let's hope in 2020 it becomes a reality with a Linux kernel and Mesa driver stack for Imagination PowerVR graphics.
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