Nvidia Makes Linux GPU Kernel Modules Open Source

pcmag.com:

Nvidia has done the unthinkable by releasing(Opens in a new window) open source drivers for Linux... kind of.

The company technically made the Linux GPU kernel modules open source via the dual GPL and MIT license; this source code is available via a dedicated GitHub repository(Opens in a new window). But the graphics drivers themselves haven't actually been made available to the public.

"For Linux distribution providers, the open-source modules increase ease of use. They also improve the out-of-the-box user experience to sign and distribute the NVIDIA GPU driver," Nvidia says(Opens in a new window) in its announcement. "Canonical and SUSE can immediately package the open kernel modules with Ubuntu and SUSE Linux Enterprise Distributions."

But there are some additional caveats. Nvidia says this initial release is only production quality for enterprise-focused GPUs using the Turing and Ampere architectures. Support for consumer GPUs—those in the GeForce and Workstation product families—is consider "alpha-quality."

Asahi Linux developer Hector Martin also notes on Twitter that much of the functionality in Nvidia's release is provided via firmware—which the company hasn't made open source.

Nvidia acknowledges these limitations in its announcement. "These changes are for the kernel modules, while the user-mode components are untouched," it says. "The user-mode remains closed source and is published with prebuilt binaries in the driver and the CUDA toolkit."

The company doesn't explain the sudden change of heart regarding the release of open source drivers—limited as they are—in the announcement. But it's possible that Lapsus$, the hackers who compromised Nvidia's network earlier this year, might have something to do with it.