Apple GPU driver for 'Asahi Linux' running Linux in Apple M1 environment is finally implemented



After two years of development, the Apple GPU driver has finally been implemented in the Linux distribution '

Asahi Linux ', which aims to run on Macs equipped with Apple's proprietary SoC 'M1' chip.

Apple GPU drivers now in Asahi Linux - Asahi Linux
https://asahilinux.org/2022/12/gpu-drivers-now-in-asahi-linux/

The GPU driver that appeared for Asahi Linux is still in alpha, but it supports OpenGL 2.1 and OpenGL ES 2.0, which is enough for hardware acceleration in desktop environments like GNOME and KDE. . Although there is room for improvement, it seems to have enough performance to run old 3D games like Quake3 and Neverball at 4K 60fps.

Also, these drivers have not yet passed the OpenGL (ES) conformance test, so bugs may occur.

Since Apple's M1 chip has not disclosed the specifications, volunteers involved in Asahi Linux developers are proceeding with development by reverse engineering. On October 24, 2022, it was reported that the GPU driver of 'Asahi Linux', which runs Linux in the Apple M1 environment, passed the test with a score of 99% or more.

A report that the GPU driver of ``Asahi Linux'' that runs Linux in the Apple M1 environment finally passed the test with a score of 99% or more-GIGAZINE



Since then, development of the kernel driver has been mainly progressing, and we have reached the implementation of the driver compatible with OpenGL 2.1 this time. It is said that they are working on supporting Vulkan, but it takes a tremendous amount of time and effort, and it makes more sense to support OpenGL first than converting OpenGL 2 to Vulkan. I thought about it.

The driver is still in development and has many known issues. For example, if the package is updated in the future, the graphics application may not start until you restart after the update, or it may fall back to software rendering, but this is normal.

Support for OpenGL 3 and others continues to progress, with new exposures showing SuperTuxKart's deferred renderer running at full speed and using OpenGL ES 3 features like multiple render targets at its disposal.



Rina Asahi, one of the developers of Asahi Linux, explains the driver development of M1 GPU on the official blog.

Asahi Linux developer VTuber talks about ``Driver development for operating Apple's M1 GPU on Linux''-GIGAZINE



Rina and developer Alyssa Rosenzweig said, 'We hope you enjoy the driver. Things are still moving fast, so we plan to update the package regularly for updates and bug fixes. Please take note,' he said.

in Software, Posted by log1p_kr