Many Features Ahead With Linux 6.6: EEVDF Scheduler, New AMD CPU Features, NVK uAPI

While there are many exciting features with Linux 6.5 which will hopefully be released as stable later today, ahead for the imminent Linux 6.6 merge window are another hearty batch of new features set to be introduced.

Linux 6.6 is landing support for various new AMD CPU features including early work around Zen 5 (Family 1Ah), continued Intel enablement for Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake, the Nouveau DRM user-space API additions for the Mesa NVK Vulkan driver will land, potentially Bcachefs, new peripheral drivers, an upgraded Rust compiler toolchain, and much more.

Below is a look at some of the Linux 6.6 kernel changes expected based on my monitoring of the many "-next" branches over the past number of weeks. As the Linux 6.6 merge window officially opens up stay tuned to Phoronix to learn more about many of the other changes that are submitted for introduction in this next kernel. Once the Linux 6.6 merge window is past it's then onto testing and benchmarking what will be Linux 6.6 ahead of its stable debut in late 2023.

- The EEVDF scheduler is expected to be merged.

- AMD Dynamic Boost Control is set to be introduced.

- Intel cluster scheduling for hybrid CPUs will take another attempt.

- A new driver to manage/configure HP BIOS settings on capable platforms is being introduced.

- The GPU VA manager is landing in the DRM code.

- IO_uring support for vectored FUTEX waits.

- It will be easier to disable IO_uring system-wide.

- AMD Zen 5 EDAC and temperature monitoring support for the AMD Family 1Ah processors.

- The XFS file-system maintainer is stepping down.

- Btrfs is deprecating its integrity checker tool.

- Intel Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake sound support.

- New tuning knobs for the Intel DRM driver that can yield up to ~15% better performance.

- The Intel i915 DRM driver is restoring Panel Self Refresh for old Haswell/Broadwell laptops with the last of the bugs hopefully resolved.

- VirtIO sync object support.

- Nouveau kernel driver NVK uAPI support for these user-space API additions necessary for the recently-mainlined NVK driver in Mesa.

- Potentially there might be the Bcachefs file-system merged.

- The new AMD FreeSync Panel Replay feature as an alternative to Panel Self Refresh (PSR) is now wired up.

- AMDGPU DC display code now works on RISC-V.

- Initial support for the VPU with Intel Lunar Lake CPUs.

- Current and average power being exposed for capable Radeon GPUs with the AMDGPU driver.

- New hardware and overhead optimizations for the Qualcomm MSM DRM driver.

- Support for more NXP i.MX8MP hardware with the Etnaviv reverse-engineered Vivante graphics driver.

- More easily enabling partial SMT on architectures like POWER.

- Intel Sapphire Rapids PECI support.

- The Intel Speed SelecT Tool now supports up to 32 sockets.

- The in-tree cpupower utility now supports new AMD P-State features.

- Memory temperature reporting up to 32 DIMMs.

- More LoongArch kernel features like Loongson Binary Translation are now in place for this domestic Chinese CPU architecture.

- Several HID gaming controller improvements.

- Rumble / force feedback for Google Stadia controllers via a new driver.

- Better handling for unresponsive Intel QAT devices.

- Cleaning up of CPU microcode handling on x86 32-bit systems.

- Further cleaning to the AMD Inception / SRSO mitigation code.

- An upgrade to the Rust toolchain.

- Finishing the removal of Wireless USB and UWB.

- A new input driver used by various wearable fitness devices.