Open-source HDMI 2.1 finally coming to Linux
An AMD developer announces full HDMI 2.1 for the Linux open-source driver. There is also a first implementation for the Nouveau driver.
(Image: Andreas Wodrich / heise medien)
The years-long absence of HDMI 2.1 for open-source Linux drivers has come to an end. First patches are available for the Radeon kernel driver AMDGPU and the community driver Nouveau for Nvidia GeForce graphics cards. They support the Fixed Rate Link (FRL) introduced with HDMI 2.1, which is necessary for the increased data transfer rate.
The responsible HDMI Forum blocked open-source drivers for HDMI 2.1 under Linux for years. Current graphics cards were therefore limited to HDMI 2.0, even though their ports can handle the newer 2.1 standard.
An AMD driver developer confirmed in the Phoronix forum that a full HDMI 2.1 implementation is expected to be released: “A full implementation will ultimately be available once the patches are ready and have completed compliance testing.”
Years of Stagnation
Whether the HDMI Forum relented or AMD, together with Valve, found an independent solution, none of the parties are currently revealing. What is clear is that AMD developed an open-source implementation back in 2021, but the HDMI Forum prohibited its release. The argument: Even without components of the HDMI Forum in the driver, AMD would violate the license terms. At the end of 2025, Valve confirmed it was working on the blockade by the licensor.
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Valve has been driving Linux gaming forward for years, especially in conjunction with AMD GPUs, which are used in the Steam Deck handheld PC and the upcoming living room PC Steam Machine. HDMI 2.1 support is important for the Steam Machine to be able to control modern 4K TVs at more than 60 Hertz without workarounds and limitations.
Pressure on the HDMI Forum has been growing since the beginning of the year, as, for example, developer Michał Kopeć has already released unofficial HDMI 2.1-capable AMDGPU drivers. In the case of Nouveau, one of the responsible Red Hat kernel developers, David Airlie, has released a patch with Fixed Rate Link. This apparently works with Nvidia GPUs because the integrated GPU System Processor (GSP) handles large parts of the execution. The AMDGPU driver could help here in the future to introduce more functions, such as variable refresh rates (HDMI VRR).
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