AMD now supports the XDNA architecture on Linux

AMD intends to significantly expand AI support for its processors with Ryzen AI and now supports XDNA-based NPUs embedded in Ryzen 7040 (“Phoenix”) and Ryzen 8040 (“Hawk Point”) series APUs also for the first time under Linux. The Ryzen 8000G series desktop APUs, shown off at CES 2024, also have a matching neural processor that can now be used in Linux for AI workloads.

The first XDNA driver for Linux has been released

As open source Linux site Phoronix was first able to report, AMD has a new one XDNA driver It is published via the development platform GitHub. This makes the AI ​​Engine, a coprocessor implemented as a custom chip, usable under Linux for the first time.

Source: AMD



AMD Ryzen AI is capable of processing up to four AI streams simultaneously, reducing latency, improving battery life, custom AI hardware processing, and using Microsoft's Windows Studio effects, such as eye contact, auto frame and background effects that can be supported It's entirely native within Microsoft's current Windows 11 operating system. But in the future, Ryzen AI should be able to do more on more and more Ryzen CPUs.

Source: AMD



As AMD confirms, the “Performance”, “Security” and “Productivity” areas will benefit from Ryzen AI and will gradually be made available to an increasing number of CPUs and APUs. Currently only the Ryzen 7040U/HS, Ryzen 8040U/HS and Ryzen 8000G have the AI ​​accelerator built into the XDNA architecture.

XDNA 2 is said to offer three times the AI ​​performance

In addition to Zen 5 and Zen 5c as well as RDNA 3+ (or RDNA 3.5), which was previously considered safe, AMD also has the latest generation of its neural processor, the so-called Neural Processing Unit (“NPU”), based on the confirmed XDNA 2 for APUs Portable for Ryzen AI 8050 series (“Strix Point”). These should be able to deliver nearly three times the AI ​​performance of the Ryzen 8040 (“Hawk Point”).

While the Ryzen 7040 (“Phoenix”) currently on sale can deliver up to a maximum of 10 TOPS (“trillion operations per second”) to accelerate AI or ML workflows, the Ryzen 8040 (“Hawk Point”) is actually said to be capable of So to do this up to 16 peaks. The Ryzen AI 8050 (“Strix Point”) should deliver 48 TOPS by switching from XDNA to XDNA 2. AMD is clearly targeting Intel's Meteor Lake here.

AMD has tested Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with XDNA

To be able to use the current XDNA architecture and the upcoming XDNA 2 architecture, which will be offered with the Ryzen 8050 (“Strix Point”), in Linux, a free operating system kernel Linux 6.7 with IOMMU SVA support is required, according to the developers. The manufacturer has now tested the XDNA driver with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, but other distributions should also be able to handle it without any problems.

Source: AMD



Provides more information Project page on the developer platform GitHub.