Apple M3 Support On Asahi Linux Is Approaching The Original Alpha Quality Of The M1
([Apple] 5 Hours Ago
Apple M3 Linux Support)
- Reference: 0001629926
- News link: https://www.phoronix.com/news/Apple-M3-Linux-Approach-Alpha
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A new progress report from the Asahi Linux project is now published that highlights recent upstreaming work for the Linux 7.0 kernel release as well as the latest additions to the downstream Asahi Linux code. The Asahi Linux project also pushed out their first updated Asahi installer in nearly two years.
After nearly two years, a new Asahi Linux installer release is now available due to the complexities involved with their installer and all the other processes for generating a new release build.
Asahi Linux has also made progress on its firmware handling/extraction from macOS to more easily update the firmware binaries, ambient light sensor support, Bluetooth fixes, more audio quirks, and ongoing work around improving the idle energy consumption when using Linux on the Apple M-series SoCs.
Asahi Linux developers also continue hard at work on enabling the Apple M3 SoC support with their downstream Asahi Linux kernel. They are nearing a point where the Apple M3 support is nearly to the alpha quality of where Asahi Linux was when it originally debuted for the Apple M1. More hardware support like MacBook keyboards and trackpads are being enabled for the M3-based Macs but more work is left. The status report notes:
"Also finding their way into the Asahi kernel tree are patches to enable more hardware on M3 machines. This includes support for PCIe, MacBook keyboards and trackpads support, the SMC-based RTC and reboot controller, and the NVMe controller, courtesy once again of Michael Reeves and Alyssa Milburn. This brings Linux support for the M3 up to roughly the same level as the first Asahi Linux alpha for M1!
While we aren’t quite ready to enable installation on M3 machines via the Asahi Installer, progress is being made. Stay tuned for more!"
Hopefully this Apple M3 on Asahi Linux will be in working shape for end-users at least by the time the Apple M6 is reportedly launching later this calendar year. This Apple M3 enablement work is largely still just in the downstream Asahi Linux kernel and will take some time before it's upstream in the mainline Linux kernel.
More details on the latest state of Asahi Linux can be found via today's [1]progress report .
[1] https://asahilinux.org/2026/04/progress-report-7-0/
After nearly two years, a new Asahi Linux installer release is now available due to the complexities involved with their installer and all the other processes for generating a new release build.
Asahi Linux has also made progress on its firmware handling/extraction from macOS to more easily update the firmware binaries, ambient light sensor support, Bluetooth fixes, more audio quirks, and ongoing work around improving the idle energy consumption when using Linux on the Apple M-series SoCs.
Asahi Linux developers also continue hard at work on enabling the Apple M3 SoC support with their downstream Asahi Linux kernel. They are nearing a point where the Apple M3 support is nearly to the alpha quality of where Asahi Linux was when it originally debuted for the Apple M1. More hardware support like MacBook keyboards and trackpads are being enabled for the M3-based Macs but more work is left. The status report notes:
"Also finding their way into the Asahi kernel tree are patches to enable more hardware on M3 machines. This includes support for PCIe, MacBook keyboards and trackpads support, the SMC-based RTC and reboot controller, and the NVMe controller, courtesy once again of Michael Reeves and Alyssa Milburn. This brings Linux support for the M3 up to roughly the same level as the first Asahi Linux alpha for M1!
While we aren’t quite ready to enable installation on M3 machines via the Asahi Installer, progress is being made. Stay tuned for more!"
Hopefully this Apple M3 on Asahi Linux will be in working shape for end-users at least by the time the Apple M6 is reportedly launching later this calendar year. This Apple M3 enablement work is largely still just in the downstream Asahi Linux kernel and will take some time before it's upstream in the mainline Linux kernel.
More details on the latest state of Asahi Linux can be found via today's [1]progress report .
[1] https://asahilinux.org/2026/04/progress-report-7-0/