AMD RDNA 4 integrated graphics firmware arrives early! Zen 6 APU ready to use out of the box.

Recently, AMD uploaded all firmware binaries for its next-generation RDNA 4m (GFX 11.7) graphics architecture to the linux-firmware.git repository. This marks a step closer to out-of-the-box Linux support for the Zen 6-based Ryzen 500 "Medusa Point" APU.

The RDNA 4m architecture holds a unique position. It is neither desktop RDNA 4 (GFX 12.0) nor RDNA 3.5 (GFX 11.5), but rather a transitional architecture between the two.

It retains the foundation of the GFX 11 family while incorporating RDNA 4-style new instructions, including FP8/BF8 data type conversions and WMMA matrix operation support. Internally, AMD has named this generation of integrated graphics RDNA 4m, where the "m" likely points to the mobile and power-efficiency-focused APU product line.

The firmware package uploaded this time covers two core versions: GFX 11.7.0 and GFX 11.7.1. Supporting components also include PSP 15.0.0 and PSP 15.0.9 security processor firmware, the SDMA 6.1.4 direct memory access module, as well as control algorithms for the VPE 2.0.0 video engine and DCN 4.2 display core. However, firmware for the family's third known target, GFX1172, is not yet included.

Over the past few months, AMD has gradually completed support code for GFX 11.7 in the Linux kernel's AMDGPU driver, the LLVM shader compiler backend, and the open-source RadeonSI and RADV drivers. This firmware release fills the final piece of the puzzle for out-of-the-box Linux support.

Notably, AMD has changed its previous practice of uploading firmware only after graphics cards hit the market, instead pushing binaries to the upstream repository several months in advance. This allows Linux distributions to package system updates before the hardware's official release, ensuring plug-and-play functionality on launch day.

The Linux 7.3 kernel paired with the Mesa 26.2 or 26.3 graphics stack will serve as the stable software foundation for RDNA 4m integrated graphics.

Currently, AMD has not yet announced specific specifications or a release date for the Medusa Point APU.