For more years than I can remember, Linux users have hated NVIDIA, the world’s leading company in graphics processing units (GPUs). Why? Because years after every other company released their drivers in open source, NVIDIA refused to do so. It also didn’t give Linux kernel developers the data they needed to create open source drivers for them. That left Linux users stuck with second-rate proprietary drivers. Now, NVIDIA has finally open sourced its GPU driver.
Hate was not too strong a word. In a famous interview, a frustrated Linus Torvalds said: “I’m also happy to point out publicly that Nvidia has been one of the worst hotbeds of trouble we’ve had with hardware manufacturers, and that’s really sad because then Nvidia tries to sell chips – lots of chips – on the Android Market. Nvidia has been the worst company we’ve ever dealt with. [Lifts middle finger] So Nvidia, fuck you.“
Also: Linux kernel 6.10 officially released: new features and improvements
And, lest we forget, in 2022, the Lapsus$ ransomware gang threatened to leak Nvidia GPU files if the company refused to ” COMPLETELY OPEN SOURCE GPU drivers (and distributed under a FOSS license) for Windows, macOS, and Linux, starting now and forever.” This was not the usual requirement for ransomware.
That didn’t work out, but NVIDIA is making a full transition to open-source GPU core modules as it approaches a $3 trillion market cap. This marks a major shift from its long-standing (and frankly misguided) policy.
This transition began in May 2022 with the release of the R515 driver, which included a set of open-source Linux GPU kernel modules under dual GPL and MIT licenses. Initially, this release was targeted at data center compute GPUs, with GeForce and Workstation GPUs in alpha status.
Over the past two years, NVIDIA has been working hard to improve these open source modules, achieving application performance equivalent to or better than their closed source counterparts. The company has also added significant new capabilities, including:
- Heterogeneous Memory Management (HMM) support
- Confidential Computing
- Support for coherent memory architectures on NVIDIA Grace platforms
These features won’t help much in getting the best possible gaming performance, but they might help cryptocurrency miners or artificial intelligence Developers (IA).
Also: How open source attracts some of the world’s leading innovators
With the upcoming release of the R560 driver, NVIDIA will complete its transition to open-source GPU core modules. This move is expected to benefit the Linux community by enabling better integration with the operating system and enabling more robust community development and support.
However, it is important to note that this transition does not apply to all NVIDIA GPUs. Open source modules are mandatory for cutting-edge platforms such as NVIDIA Grace Hopper or NVIDIA Blackwell. NVIDIA recommends switching to open source modules for GPUs on the Turing, Ampere, Ada Lovelace, or Hopper architectures. Older GPUs on the Maxwell, Pascal, or Volta architectures will continue to use the proprietary driver as they are incompatible with open source modules.
Need help figuring out what’s under the hood of your computer? NVIDIA offers a shell script, nvidia-driver-assistant, to help you out. Once you’re done, you can install the CUDA Toolkit and the appropriate GPU drivers using your Linux distribution’s package manager.
Also: Latest AI training benchmarks show Nvidia has no competition
NVIDIA’s move is a step toward creating a more open ecosystem for Linux users and developers. It also puts NVIDIA in a better position to compete with AMD, which has long been known for its open source approach to Linux.
While this is a significant step forward, let me remind you that NVIDIA’s move to open source is currently limited to kernel modules. Driver userspace components remain proprietary, meaning full open source integration, particularly for gaming applications, may still be some way off.
As the tech community digests this news, many hope that this could kickstart a broader shift toward open source practices at NVIDIA, potentially leading to better compatibility and performance for Linux users.