NVIDIA has released the stable version of the new branch of its proprietary driver, NVIDIA 550.54.14. This driver is now available for Linux (ARM64, X86_64), FreeBSD (X86_64), and Solaris (X86_64). This marks the sixth stable branch of NVIDIA components operating at the nucleus level. The initial texts of the kernel modules nvidia.ko, nvidia-drm.ko (Direct Rendering Manager), Nvidia-modeset.ko, and Nvidia-uvm.ko (Unified Video Memory) from the new NVIDIA branch, along with the general components used in them, are available on github. However, firmware and user libraries such as Cuda, Opengl, and Vulkan remain proprietary.
Some of the main new features include:
- Support for Vulkan extensions VK_KHR_video_encode_queue, VK_KHR_video_encode_h264, VK_KHR_video_encode_h265, and VK_KHR_video_maintenance1, used to accelerate video encoding.
- An application profile has been added to enhance the productivity of the Kwin composite manager on systems with hybrid graphics.
- During the assembly of kernel modules, the contents of the variable installation_Mod_dir are now taken into account.
- Support for GBM formats R8, GR88, and YCBCR has been added.
- Modifications to the mechanism for limiting frame rates when starting the X-Driver in shameless mode.
- Experimental HDMI support with 10 bits per color channel is now available.
- Support for transferring HDR information through the HDR_UTPUT_METADATA DRM-Switch.
- In Vulkan Wayland Wsi (Window System Integration), support for Prime technology has been added for the rendering operations to other GPUs.
- Support for CRTC properties CTM, Degamma_lut, and Gamma_lut has been added for the KMS mechanism, necessary for implementing the night mode in GNOME and KDE environments.
- Support for the GeForce and Workstation series GPUs has been implemented in open modules for the kernel.
- Experimental support for the dynamic energy consumption control mechanism RTD3 on GPUs for PC.
- Support for egl broadcasting
/Reports, release notes, official announcements.