Linux 7.3: Getting Ready for Zen 6, RGB for the Ryzen AI Halo, and Dozens of Laptops

The batch of changes to the x86 platform drivers for the Linux 7.3 kernel has already been merged. It spans several fronts at once: preparatory work for AMD's upcoming Zen 6 hardware, RGB backlight control for the Ryzen AI Halo mini PC, and an impressive list of improvements for laptops from all sorts of manufacturers. Handheld gaming devices got some attention too.

Groundwork for Zen 6

The AMD HSMP driver gained support for version 7 of the protocol used by the Zen 6 processors of family 1Ah, model 80H. Support for these chips was also added to the AMD PMF driver — presumably these are desktop client Zen 6 models. On top of that, PMF now exposes device metrics through a new ioctl interface.

A separate Ryzen AI Halo LED driver has also appeared: it lets you turn on and configure the RGB backlight of the mini PC of the same name, built on the Ryzen AI Max+. An interesting detail: this compact machine ships with AMD's own Linux distribution, and now the mainline kernel will be able to manage the backlight configuration as well.

Laptops and Handheld Consoles

The bulk of the work went into laptop support. The HP WMI driver learned to switch the GPU MUX, control the CPU and GPU fans separately via PWM, and recognize a whole range of new OMEN-series models. The LG driver gained event handling for recent models and a keyboard backlight fix for the LG Gram 16T90SP. For ASUS laptops, a “ProArt” key was added on the ProArt PX13, and the power-limit adjustment capabilities were expanded.

Lenovo got a new yb9-kbdock driver for the Yoga Book 9 14IAH10, along with support for the USB-C Security feature on the newer ThinkPads: it allows devices to charge over USB-C but blocks data transfer. The ThinkPad T14 Gen2 AMD received a workaround for s2idle mode. Support for the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro was also added.

The Uniwill driver, which TUXEDO Computers is actively working on, gained keyboard backlight control, auto power-on when a power source is connected, and a USB power-share feature; the list of supported devices grew to include the MACHENIKE L16 Pro, the AiStone X4SP4NAL, and the Avell A60 MUV. The MSI EC driver added the MSI Raider A18 HX and the Katana GF76.

Handheld consoles weren't left out either: the MSI WMI driver gained support for the “M Center” keys on the MSI Claw, and the OXPEC driver added the OneXPlayer X2 Mini Pro.

Source: Phoronix