AMD working on Vulkan driver for Linux

AMD is working on a Vulkan driver for Linux, which should give developers more direct access to the GPU components when making games, for example. The driver will initially remain closed source, but AMD wants to release the source code in due course.

AMD would already be testing a Vulkan driver for Linux, writes Phoronix based on info the company gave at the XDC 2015 in Canada. It is unclear which generation of cards the driver can handle.

Vulkan is a cross-platform API, giving developers access to the deeper layers of graphics hardware, allowing them to make more optimizations to their software than before. The api was known in the past as Next Generation OpenGL, or glNext, but has been called Vulkan since the beginning of this year. AMD also promised to make OpenCL support open source in due course, with the company probably referring to more extensive support than it already offers with the Clover Gallium3D driver.