AMD has submitted patches to its open-source Linux graphics drivers, adding support for GDDR7 memory as anticipation builds for its next-generation RDNA 5 GPUs. In the AMDGPU driver, GDDR7 is now listed among supported VRAM types.

Currently, AMD's consumer RDNA 4-based Radeon RX 9000 series uses GDDR6, while Instinct MI data center GPUs use HBM3E and HBM4. The GDDR7 placeholder indicates future support for RDNA 5. Switching to GDDR7 will boost memory speeds: GDDR6 tops out at 20 Gb/s, while GDDR7 can achieve 36 Gb/s today and 48 Gb/s in future versions, per JEDEC. This will enable higher memory bandwidth for RDNA 5 gaming and workstation GPUs.

Linux kernel patches have also revealed that the Display Core Next (DCN) display engine will arrive in version 6 for RDNA 5, introducing new scaling integrity and costing surfaces, a UPSP pre-scaler for 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 content, and new pixel formats. This means the final GPU will support modern high-refresh, high-resolution gaming across various aspect ratios.