Linux support for RDNA 4 GPUs at launch sees promising development with new patches
Table of Contents
AMD’s next-gen RDNA 4 GPUs are expected to launch in the second half of 2025 with the arrival of the RX 8000 series and as time draws closer, more and more information has been spreading. New patches and support in ACO Compiler and MESA point towards full support for Linux-based devices at launch.
There have been multiple new patches that refer to this, unsurprisingly the majority of it coming from developers at Valve. They are familiar with working with Linux, particularly for the custom operating system on the Steam Deck, and have lent and open-source helping hand.
RDNA 4 GPUs closing in on full Linux support
ACO is Valve’s AMD Shader Compiler for the open-source Mesa 3D Graphics Library and a new merge request on GitLab makes various changes in preparation for GFX12 (a codename for the 8000 series) architecture support. All of this relates to Linux support for implementing graphics APIs such as OpenGL and Vulkan, and could already point towards full support at launch.
This news comes after previous reports from Phoronix that Valve has been preparing driver support for RDNA 4, particularly Vulkan and OpenGL drivers. The ACO compiler is dedicated to dealing with resources such as these and these new changes build upon the groundwork.
GPU driver support for Linux-based devices isn’t always the best, but it looks like AMD has been sure to focus on this with these patches. You can find Linux Drivers for AMD Radeon Graphics here, and we could see the RX 8000 series soon join the list when it arrives later on this year.
Deals season is here folks, and Amazon has already kickstarted its early Black Friday deals! We'll be covering all the best deals in more details over in our deals hub, but if you haven't got time to read through those, why not see our top picks below.
- ASUS TUF NVIDIA RTX 5080 Was $1599 Now $1199
- ASUS TUF RTX 5070 Ti Was $999 Now $849
- Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 Was $899 Now $649
- TCL 43S250R Roku TV 2023 Was $279 Now $199
- iBUYPOWER Y40 Gaming PC Was $2,299 Now $1,819
- Samsung Odyssey G9 (G95C) Was $1,299 Now $777
- Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop Was $3,499 Now $2,799
- Samsung 77-inch OLED S95F Was $4,297 Now $3,497
- ASUS ROG Strix G16 Was $1,499 Now $1,199
*Prices and savings subject to change. Click through to get the current prices.
From what we’ve seen so far, Navi 44 and Navi 48 are the two chips for the next generation, representing a more mid-range focused line-up. All of this preparation could see complete support as soon as they launch, especially with lots of development being focused on Linux support for MESA’s RADV Vulkan driver.
About the Author