AMD has begun adding GDDR7 support to the open Linux AMDGPU driver. One of the latest patches introduces separate identifiers for new types of video memory. This is a small change in itself, but it’s another hint that the company’s future graphics cards based on the RDNA 5 architecture may switch from GDDR6 to faster memory.
At the same time, AMD is adding support for new hardware blocks to the driver, including IH 8.0 for interrupt handling and the next version of the GPU connection interface NBIF 7.10. Previously, AMDGPU has seen changes related to the new DCN6 display system and GFX 13.0.x generation graphics units. Taken together, these changes indicate active preparations for the next generation of Radeon software.
Switching to GDDR7 can significantly increase memory bandwidth without using such a wide bus. Now the current RDNA 4-based Radeon RX 9000 uses GDDR6, and NVIDIA is already using GDDR7 in the GeForce RTX 50. At the same time, AMD has not officially confirmed the use of GDDR7 in RDNA 5, and there is no specific release date for the new graphics card.
