DirectX is coming to the Windows Subsystem for Linux (devblogs.microsoft.com)

Article summary

Microsoft is bringing DirectX to the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), allowing Linux applications to utilize GPU acceleration. This is achieved through a new Linux kernel driver called dxgkrnl, which exposes a GPU to user mode Linux. The support will also include DirectML, a machine learning API, and NVIDIA CUDA. The feature is expected to be available in a future Windows Insider build.

Main themes

• DirectX on WSL
• GPU acceleration
• Machine learning
• Linux and Windows interoperability
• Graphics APIs
• Cloud computing
• Operating system architecture

What commenters say

• Some commenters believe that Microsoft should port DirectX to Linux properly, rather than just implementing it in WSL.
• Others think that the move is necessary for WSL to be a serious competitor, especially for machine learning workloads.
• There is a discussion about the relevance of DirectX for machine learning, with some arguing that CUDA is the dominant API in this field.
• The implementation of DirectX in WSL is seen as a step towards a more unified and sandboxed operating system, similar to ChromeOS.
• Some commenters are skeptical about the potential for Linux upstream to accept the DirectX implementation.
• Others see the move as a positive development for machine learning and AI programming on Windows.
• There are also discussions about the technical details of the implementation, including the use of GPU-PV and the potential for supporting other graphics APIs like Vulkan.