Intel Lunar Lake, Panther Lake CPUs & Battlemage Discrete GPUs Receive Enhanced Linux Support
6/24/2024Intel Lunar Lake, Panther Lake CPUs & Battlemage Discrete GPUs Receive Enhanced Linux Support
Intel has been diligently preparing support for its next-generation products, including Lunar Lake CPUs, Panther Lake CPUs, and Battlemage Discrete GPUs, within the Linux ecosystem. Let’s dive into the details of these exciting developments.
Lunar Lake CPUs: DLVR/Audio Support
Anticipated to launch next quarter, Intel’s Lunar Lake CPUs have garnered substantial Linux support. The engineering team recently introduced a new patch that enables Digital Linear Voltage Regulator (DLVR) functionality. DLVR reduces power input, enhancing overall efficiency for these ultra-low-power SOCs. While there are no new functionality attributes compared to prior generations (such as Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake), the MMIO offset and bit positions have changed compared to older CPUs.
Panther Lake CPUs: Early Support
Although Panther Lake CPUs are slated for release in the second half of 2025, Intel is proactively providing early support. Recent Panther Lake patches added a new PCI device ID (0xe428) to the HDA driver and DSP configuration. While these changes primarily address audio support, Phoronix reports that more significant patches are expected with the release of Linux 6.11. Panther Lake CPUs will feature next-gen technologies like Cougar Cove P-Cores and Celestial “Xe3” iGPUs.
Battlemage Discrete GPUs: Xe2 Family
Intel’s Battlemage Discrete GPUs, part of the “Xe2” family, are receiving enhanced Linux support. The new drm-intel-next-patches for the Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) driver enable Battlemage GPUs to connect to displays. Additionally, the Intel kernel graphics driver introduces Panel Replay technology for Xe2 GPUs, following the eDisplayPort 1.5 specification. This low-power pipeline helps conserve energy.
In summary, Intel is diligently working to provide timely support for its upcoming CPU and GPU architectures. Expect Lunar Lake CPUs and Battlemage GPUs to launch in the second half of this year, while Panther Lake CPUs are on track for the second half of next year. Stay tuned for more exciting tech developments!