# Linux 7.5 DRM staging begins with AMDXDNA NPU, Mali G68, and HDMI 2.0 driver work

> **Key takeaway:** Early drm-misc-next pull requests for Linux 7.5 bring AMD AIE4 NPU enablement, Arm Mali G68 GPU support, and HDMI 2.0 to Rockchip display drivers.

**Published:** 2026-10-29T09:48:22+00:00 
**Source:** Phoronix Benchmarks & Drivers 
**Category:** kernel-os 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/linux-75-drm-staging-begins-with-amdxdna-npu-mali-g68-and-hd.html 

## Summary
Development for the Linux 7.5 kernel cycle has begun with the first drm-misc-next pull requests landing in DRM-Next, even as the 7.4 merge window remains open. The initial submissions introduce substantial graphics and NPU driver work, including busy time reporting for the AMDXDNA Ryzen AI accelerator driver and expanded AIE4 NPU support covering power modes, kernel queue management, and suspend/resume functionality. Arm Mali G68 GPU support has been added to the Panfrost open-source driver alongside improved reset handling. Display improvements include HDMI 2.0 support for Rockchip's dw-hdmi-qp driver and ARGB8888 format support for VirtIO primary planes.

The AMD AIE4 work is particularly notable as it targets AMD's next-generation Ryzen AI NPU expected to debut with upcoming Zen 6 platforms, continuing months of active upstream development. Additional changes span new panel support including the BOE NE140WUM-N41, HDMI 1.x bridge driver enhancements, and firmware version compatibility updates for AMDXDNA. These early submissions indicate a busy graphics and accelerator driver cycle ahead for the late-year 7.5 merge window.

## Driver and subsystem changes for Linux 7.5
- **AMDXDNA Ryzen AI driver:** Adds busy time reporting through the DRM fdinfo interface, enabling better runtime visibility into NPU utilization for user-space tools and system monitors.
- **AMD AIE4 NPU enablement:** Expands driver functionality for AMD's next-generation NPU architecture with power mode get/set operations, kernel queue life-cycle management, memory layout configuration, and suspend/resume support.
- **Panfrost Mali driver:** Introduces Arm Mali G68 GPU support and improves GPU reset handling and initialization sequences for better reliability on Arm-based platforms.
- **Rockchip display:** Adds HDMI 2.0 support to the dw-hdmi-qp driver, increasing bandwidth capabilities for Rockchip SoC-based devices and enabling higher resolution or refresh rate outputs.
- **VirtIO GPU:** Implements ARGB8888 format support for primary planes, expanding color format compatibility in virtualized graphics environments.

## Why it matters
The early AMD AIE4 NPU enablement signals that Linux will have day-one support for AMD's next-generation Ryzen AI hardware, reducing the gap between silicon availability and usable open-source drivers that has plagued previous NPU generations. For Arm ecosystem users, Mali G68 support in Panfrost extends the reach of open-source graphics to newer mid-range mobile GPUs without proprietary driver dependencies. Distribution maintainers and embedded developers working with Rockchip SoCs or virtualization stacks should monitor these changes for backporting decisions and hardware enablement planning.