Dev Tools · 1h ago
NVIDIA Open-Sources Linux GPU Kernel Modules, Keeps Firmware Closed
NVIDIA has open-sourced its Linux GPU kernel modules, including nvidia.ko, nvidia-drm.ko, nvidia-uvm.ko, and nvidia-modeset.ko, to simplify integration with Linux distributions. The move is enabled by the GSP firmware architecture, which offloads hardware control from the kernel driver. User-space components like CUDA and OpenGL remain proprietary.
Meridian48 take
This is a pragmatic step for Linux ecosystem integration, not a full open-source pivot; the core IP stays in firmware and user-space.
nvidialinux-gpu