Linux 6.18 DRM pull adds new drivers and Rust support
Linus Torvalds has pulled the Direct Rendering Manager updates for Linux kernel 6.18, introducing new open-source drivers and Rust integration for graphics hardware. The changes focus on enhancements for AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA systems, alongside support for accelerators like Rocket and Tyr. DRM maintainer Dave Airlie highlighted the push toward Rust in the kernel's graphics subsystem.
The Linux kernel's upcoming 6.18 release incorporates a major update to its Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) subsystem, as announced in a pull request from Linus Torvalds. This pull, dated around early October 2025, brings substantial improvements for graphics and accelerator hardware across various platforms.
Key additions include two new drivers: the Rocket accelerator driver, which enables the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) in newer Rockchip SoCs, and the initial code for Tyr, a Rust-based driver for Arm Mali GPUs. Supporting these are new Rust abstractions for memory and DMA management, such as scatterlist and Vmalloc, marking a strategic shift toward Rust in the kernel.
For AMD hardware, the AMDGPU driver gains Checkpoint and Restore (CRIU) support for GEM objects, expanded reset capabilities for the Video Core Next (VCN) engine, Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) updates, eDP ALPM power management, and the removal of legacy display code. The AMDXNA driver also improves with user-space allocated buffer support and enhanced error reporting.
Intel contributions feature updates to the Xe driver, including new power management interfaces, memory attribute queries, and a sysfs power_profile interface. Display support extends to Wildcat Lake platforms, with SR-IOV enabled by default on compatible hardware. The i915 driver includes numerous fixes for older generations, and work on the Habana Labs accelerator driver has resumed.
NVIDIA's open-source Nouveau driver now defaults to the GSP firmware for better hardware management. Arm's Panthor driver expands support for newer GPUs, while additional updates cover Chromebook display panels, signal-converting bridge chips, and SoCs from STMicroelectronics and Rockchip.
Dave Airlie, the DRM maintainer, emphasized in the pull request the 'significant push toward Rust integration' as a central theme, alongside mainlining new drivers and critical enhancements for major hardware vendors.