AMD RDNA 4 GPUs to Feature “Good Enough” RADV Support in Mesa 25.0, Missing Just Two Components

Currently, users utilizing RDNA 4 GPUs on Linux platforms can expect a solid performance from the RADV driver, although some non-essential features will be missing at the launch phase.

RADV Enhancements Ahead of RX 9070 Launch: Insights from Lead Developer

As AMD gears up for the release of its RDNA 4 GPU series, the Valve Linux Graphics Driver team has been diligently refining the RADV (Radeon Vulkan) driver, which is integral to the performance of these GPUs. This important development was recently highlighted in a report by Phoronix. The RADV is an open-source Vulkan driver included in the Mesa framework, designed to optimize AMD GPU performance within Linux environments.

Prior to the RX 9070 launch set for March, its corresponding update, Mesa 25.0, will be rolled out, bringing tailored enhancements to the RADV driver to support these GPUs. Samuel Pitoiset, the lead developer for RADV, has assured that the driver will be ‘Good Enough’ for the new Radeon RX 9070 series.

This initial support should be good enough but it’s missing two features (cooperative matrix and video decode/encode) compared to GFX11 (RDNA3) because of lack of time.

DCC is still under active development but it might be possible to finish it during the RC period.

– Mesa 25.0 patch notes

While Samuel indicated satisfactory support, he also pointed out that the Mesa 25.0 release—scheduled for late February—will not include two significant features: Cooperative Matrix (VK_KHR_cooperative_matrix) and Video Decode/Encode (Vulkan Video).The Cooperative Matrix is particularly vital for specialized computational tasks such as gaming and machine learning, whereas Video Decode/Encode will enhance efficient video processing capabilities within the Vulkan API.

Interestingly, the absence of Vulkan Video support does not imply that users will lack capabilities through VA-API (Video Acceleration API) for hardware-accelerated video decoding and encoding on RDNA 4. AMD engineers are anticipated to manage this independently from the Vulkan Video feature set.

Ultimately, robust RADV support for RDNA 4 GPUs is crucial as it minimizes potential limitations for Linux users running RX 9070 GPUs. The missing features are expected to be integrated shortly after the GPU launch, further improving the overall experience for users.

For more information, check out sources such as Phoronix and freedesktop.

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