Intel To Push Out Xe2 Graphics Enablement At Linux By Default In Upcoming 6.12 Kernel

Intel is expected to introduce " out-of-the-box " support for the next-gen Xe2 graphics architecture at Linux, allowing upcoming Lunar Lake CPUs & Battlemage GPUs to work flawlessly.

Intel has recently been accelerating the pace regarding enablement for its next-gen architectures on Linux, especially with Lunar Lake SoCs. The firm looks to increase its relevancy among Linux users, which is why a new report by Phoronix claims that the upcoming Linux 6.12 kernel cycle will bring support for Intel's next-gen Xe2 graphics architecture, which means that both Lunar Lake CPUs and Battlemage GPUs will be fully compatible on the OS, that too right around the official launches.

This is certainly a great move by Intel, given that with previous products such as the Alchemist GPU lineup, Linux was full of support issues, but with Battlemage, now that consumers will get support right out of the box, it's expected to be a much more seamless experience. However, for Lunar Lake SoCs, since they are anticipated to be launched in just a few days, users wouldn't likely get Linux support on day one, since the Linux 6.12 kernel cycle will drop by in mid-September, but that isn't a big gap, just a matter of days.

Here is what the pull request, which brings Xe2 graphics support for Lunar Lake and Battlemage, describes about the upcoming kernel cycle:

Aside from the additional fixes compared to last week, 2 important patches to remove the force_probe requirement for LNL and BMG. Those are the first platforms to be officially supported by the xe driver: one integrated and one discrete. For BMG there are still some necessary changes going through the drm-intel-next pull request later this week.

Regarding the release dates, Intel's Lunar Lake CPUs are expected to launch in September, while the Battlemage GPU architecture is rumored to launch by late 2024 or early 2025, putting it in a great spot when it comes to support at Linux.