Ubuntu 26.04 LTS natively integrates AMD ROCm for AI and HPC applications

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The next Ubuntu version 26.04 LTS will integrate AMD ROCm natively. Developers and companies will be able to install and update the open software platform for hardware-accelerated AI, machine learning, and HPC workloads directly via the standard package management in the future. The previously complex manual setup will thus be eliminated.

AMD ROCm (Radeon Open Compute) includes runtime environments, compilers, libraries, kernel components, and drivers for accelerating frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and JAX. The platform supports AMD's Instinct and Radeon GPUs and will be available as a package via apt, Snap, and Docker. Canonical has formed a dedicated team for this purpose, which will maintain the ROCm packages long-term and also submit them for Debian.

Automatic Updates and Long-Term Support

A key advantage of native integration is the automatic distribution of security updates and performance improvements. ROCm updates will appear at least every six months with new versions. Particularly interesting for companies: Via Ubuntu Pro, Canonical offers up to 15 years of support for ROCm in LTS versions. Ubuntu Pro subscriptions are free for private users, while companies can book extended support options.

Installation via native package management also allows ROCm to be used as a dependency in other packages, Snaps, or Docker images – for example, in ollama-amd. This also simplifies the development of GPU-accelerated applications.

Alternative to Nvidia CUDA in the AI Sector

Native ROCm support could strengthen AMD in its competition with Nvidia's CUDA. While CUDA has long been available as a proprietary platform in Linux distributions, ROCm installation was previously error-prone and complex. The numerous manual steps, dependencies, and kernel adjustments likely deterred many developers.

ROCm as an open platform offers advantages over Nvidia's CUDA in terms of transparency and community participation. Integration into Ubuntu and Debian significantly expands its reach within the Linux ecosystem. Target platforms include data centers, workstations, laptops, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and edge devices.

Availability and Further Development

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is expected to be released in April 2026. Further details on the collaboration between Canonical and AMD can be found in the announcement.

(fo)