Dissecting the Apple M1 GPU, the end (rosenzweig.io)

Article summary

The article tells the story of reverse-engineering the Apple M1 GPU and porting Linux to M1 and M2 Macs, achieving full graphics acceleration and conformant OpenGL and Vulkan drivers. The author, who started working on the project in 2020, has now completed their goals and is moving on to a new challenge. The project has enabled Linux to run on Apple Silicon devices with almost all hardware working. The author has also been hired by Intel to work on open source graphics drivers.

Main themes

• Reverse-engineering
• Linux on Apple Silicon
• Open source graphics drivers
• Apple ecosystem
• Intel and graphics development
• Career development

What commenters say

• The author's achievement is impressive and a significant milestone for the Linux community.
• Apple's closed ecosystem and lack of contributions to the Linux community make it an unlikely fit for the author's skills and goals.
• Intel's graphics division is seen as a good fit for the author's talents, despite the company's overall struggles.
• The development of open source graphics drivers is crucial for the longevity and usability of devices like the M1 and M2 Macs.
• Some commenters believe that Apple's focus on consumer products and walled garden approach is limiting the potential of their hardware for server, scientific, and AI/LLM work.
• Others argue that Linux support can still enable these use cases, even if Apple doesn't officially support them.
• The author's move to Intel is seen as a positive development for the consumer, as it could lead to more competitive GPU options.
• Some commenters express skepticism about the future of Intel and the graphics industry as a whole, citing challenges and limitations.