HEADLINE: AMD to Open Source Radeon GPU Micro Engine Scheduler Firmware

AMD has announced plans to open source and document its Micro Engine Scheduler (MES) firmware for Radeon GPUs. This move is part of a broader initiative to enhance the openness of AMD's GPU ecosystem, both in software and hardware.

What Changed?

The key technical change here is the decision to open source the MES firmware, which plays a crucial role in managing tasks and resources on AMD’s Radeon graphics cards. This move follows pressure from developers, notably George Hotz of Tiny Corp, who had been advocating for more transparency and control over the GPU firmware.

Why It Matters

For practitioners, this means:

• Increased Customization: Developers will have more flexibility to optimize performance and fix issues.
• Community Involvement: The open source community can contribute improvements and support a wider range of use cases.
• Transparency: Better understanding of how the GPU operates internally.

Technical Details

• Micro Engine Scheduler (MES): The MES is responsible for scheduling tasks on the GPU. It ensures that compute units are efficiently utilized, which is critical for both performance and power management.
• Documentation and Source Code:
  • End of May: AMD will publish documentation detailing how the MES works.
  • Subsequent Release: The source code will be released at a later date, though no exact timeline has been provided.

Impact on Tiny Corp

George Hotz, founder of Tiny Corp, had been pushing for the open sourcing of MES to address issues with his AI server box powered by AMD's RX 7900 XTX GPUs. Despite initial skepticism, Hotz’s efforts paid off:

• Initial Skepticism: After a conversation with AMD CEO Lisa Su in late March, Hotz was "70 percent confident" but ultimately believed it wouldn't happen.
• Project Salvage: The discovery of an "umr" repository allowed the TinyBox to function well enough, saving the project from being abandoned.

However, Tiny Corp had already decided to launch an RTX 4090-powered version of the TinyBox due to its reliability and ease of use. An Intel version might also be in the pipeline.

Broader Context

AMD’s move is part of a larger trend toward open source in the GPU ecosystem:

• ROCm Stack: AMD has been working on making its ROCm (Radeon Open Compute) stack more accessible, which includes tools and libraries for GPU programming.
• Hardware Level Transparency: This initiative extends to hardware documentation, providing developers with deeper insights into how AMD’s GPUs operate.

Conclusion

The open sourcing of the MES firmware is a significant step forward for AMD. It not only addresses specific concerns raised by developers like George Hotz but also aligns with the broader industry trend toward greater transparency and community involvement in GPU technology.