AMD has released its latest Radeon Software update for Linux, which indicates a major move towards open-source graphics solutions. The core change revolves around AMD no longer distributing proprietary OpenGL and Vulkan drivers on Linux, instead relying on the community-driven Mesa project to handle these components. Users who previously relied on the proprietary AMF acceleration system will need to transition to VA-API and Mesa Multimedia integration for high performance. This update also brings official support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 while dropping support for RHEL 8.10, so users should examine their options carefully if they're still running on that distribution.
AMD Radeon Software for Linux 25.20.3 released
AMD has released their latest Radeon Software release for Linux. This update signals a big step in embracing open-source graphics solutions.
The core change revolves around the Mesa Vulkan driver team officially supporting this project, as does its reliable OpenGL counterpart within Mesa. Importantly, AMD has decided to stop distributing their proprietary drivers for OpenGL and Vulkan on Linux; these are now entirely handled by the community-driven Mesa project itself. This change makes sense if you're familiar with how open-source software operates.
This shift away from proprietary components affects users who previously relied on a specific graphics acceleration system (AMF). Users will need to adjust by transitioning to VA-API and the Mesa Multimedia integration, which has gained widespread adoption and provides high performance. To give you an idea of how things work in practice, here are some example command lines using FFmpeg with this new setup:
- Decoding a video: ffmpeg -hwaccel vaapi ...
- Encoding footage: ffmpeg -vaapi_device /dev/dri/renderD128 -i input.mp4 ... (including the -vf flags and output codec)
- Transcoding files: ffmpeg -vaapi_device /dev/dri/renderD128 -hwaccel vaapi ...
If you have questions about this move or need help, feel free to contact AMD through their Online Service Request portal.
On another note, this version officially brings support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 10.0, which is a solid addition and expands what works. But here's the thing: it stops supporting RHEL 8.10 altogether, so if you're still on that distribution, check your options carefully.
Now, let's talk about getting this software to work for you generally. For the most part, AMD suggests sticking with the drivers already built into popular Linux distributions. This solution is usually a good bet, especially when paired with:
- AMD APU products (those integrated graphics chips) running on any current Linux distro
- Discrete AMD GPUs in systems where the distribution handles the driver updates
However, if your system doesn't align with these built-in drivers, you might encounter difficulties. Radeon Software for Linux 25.20.3 doesn't mesh well out-of-the-box with certain distributions like Fedora 43, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint 22, or Arch, even though they're open-source friendly overall.
AMD Radeon Software for Linux 25.20.3
