Qualcomm has announced the transmission of essential Linux changes to support the ARM SOC Snapdragon X Elite, featuring a 12-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU and Qualcomm Adreno GPU. Designed for use in laptops and PCs, this chip is set to compete with Apple M3 and Intel Core Ultra 155h processors. The first devices powered by Snapdragon X Elite are expected to arrive in the middle of the year running on the Windows platform. These changes by Qualcomm now enable the use of Linux on these upcoming devices.
Some of the Linux kernel changes have already been incorporated into the 6.8 and 6.9 versions, with more enhancements scheduled for inclusion in versions 6.10 and 6.11. The accepted changes include support for various components like the sound system, reference board, PCIE/EDP/USB, and more. Future updates in versions 6.10 and 6.11 will introduce support for GPU, USB-host, screen controller, dynamic frequency control, and more.
Collaborating with Lenovo, ARM, and Linaro, Qualcomm is developing Dtbloader driver for UENOCOTIS-based Tianocore. Additionally, they are working on firmware updates for Debian assemblies and supporting devices like Lenovo Yoga C630, Lenovo Flex 5G, and Lenovo ThinkPad X13S. These laptops will now have the ability to dual boot Windows and Linux.
Looking ahead, Qualcomm plans to integrate hardware acceleration support for Firefox and Chrome, implement camera support using the Libcamera-Softisp Stack, optimize GPU and CPU performance, and enhance system management tools. They also aim to include firmware in the Linux-Firmware set and provide support for Ubuntu and Debian installations in the upcoming months.