AMD updates firmware for Linux to coincide with new Zen 3 hardware and software changes
AMD did not issue a changelog for the newest firmware upgrade, which seems to be pretty standard practice on these types of advancements in Linux. The last update to the Family, 19h CPU microcode, was last November. Still, it is unsure if AMD completed bug patches or security fixes without clarification as to what changes were made to the firmware. Phoronix notes that Intel discloses much more information than AMD when releasing new CPU microcodes to Linux. Their most recent update supplies both release manifests and detailed changelogs. AMD recently updated the AMDGPU firmware and microcode files for the company’s Radeon Software 21.50 drivers for Linux. The company does not note any optimizations made or what has changed since the previous update. The only highlight to appear on the Release page for the new drivers is this single sentence: The company does add that there is Vulkan 1.3 compatibility and CentOS configurations. CentOS is the open-source project, also known as Red Hat, that releases two distinct Linux distributions, CentOS Stream and CentOS Linux. For more information on installing or uninstalling Radeon Software for Linux, direct your web browser to the Radeon Software for Linux installation instructions provided by AMD. The company has also added Vulkan 1.3 compatibility to the newest drivers. Readers will remember that Vulkan 1.3 is the newest graphics and compute API for more efficiency and provide cross-platform access to GPUs. Vulkan is the industry’s only open standard for modern GPU API, enabling developers to write portable applications to multiple platforms. AMD reminds users to ensure the RADV driver is disabled on their system and the Vulkan SDK 1.2.1298 or later version is installed. You can find the newest Vulkan 1.3 SDK update at: https://vulkan.lunarg.com/sdk/home. Phoronix is planning to run several tests on the new AMD CPU microcode. The site owner anticipates AMD launching a routine update with additional improvements and fixing and securing any security issues or traditional patchwork.
