The open-source Nouveau driver for NVIDIA hardware is set to improve performance with support for larger memory pages and compression in the upcoming Linux 6.19 kernel. Patches submitted by maintainer Ben Skeggs address key bottlenecks, particularly benefiting the NVK Vulkan driver. This update aims to narrow the performance gap with NVIDIA's proprietary drivers.
In the landscape of open-source graphics drivers, the Nouveau project is advancing with significant enhancements for Linux 6.19. Patches from Ben Skeggs introduce support for larger page sizes, such as 64K instead of the previous 4K limit, in Nouveau's memory management. This change, crucial for the NVK Vulkan driver in Mesa, reduces overhead in memory mapping and boosts efficiency for workloads like gaming and AI computations.
The development stems from NVK performance testing, where the kernel driver's page size restrictions hindered progress despite NVIDIA's GSP firmware for newer GPUs. Skeggs' series enables Nouveau to advertise multiple page sizes to user-space, aligning with modern GPU VRAM demands. Complementing this, compression support optimizes memory usage on NVIDIA hardware, potentially lowering bandwidth needs and improving frame rates in graphics applications.
These features target integration during the Linux 6.19 merge window, following November 15, 2025. Historically, Nouveau has trailed proprietary drivers in performance, but recent NVIDIA open-sourcing efforts have boosted the project. Nouveau supports NVIDIA cards from Fermi to Turing and Ampere architectures.
Technically, the updates modify Nouveau's Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) subsystem to handle 64K pages via the kernel's memory management unit (MMU), with care for user-space compatibility. Compression leverages NVIDIA GPU hardware for on-the-fly framebuffer and texture compression, aiding power efficiency in mobile and embedded systems.
For NVK, the changes promise fewer translation lookaside buffer (TLB) misses and better throughput, addressing current benchmark gaps. While NVIDIA's experimental Rust-based Nova driver emerges, Nouveau remains the primary open-source option. Enterprises may see benefits in virtualized AI environments, with broader ecosystem ties like Microsoft's Linux contributions.
Challenges include limited gains for older hardware and ongoing testing. Community feedback reflects optimism, positioning Linux 6.19 as a milestone for open-source NVIDIA support.