A new Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) kernel graphics driver has been sent out for GlandaGPU, an open-source custom 3D graphics core designed in VHDL and running on FPGA hardware.

The GlandaGPU core is open-source and is able to run on a Cycle V FPGA SoC. Before getting too excited, it just supports VGA output at 640x480 @ 60Hz with a 2D acceleration engine. For those without the FPGA hardware, there is a QEMU form for emulating it as well to assist in development.

Leander Kieweg has been leading the development of GlandaGPU and in turn the DRM kernel driver that he is now seeking feedback on for the viability of mainlining it to the Linux kernel. So far there hasn't been any comments from upstream DRM maintainers on how open they would be to accepting a mainline kernel driver for a non-commercial soft graphics core being developed as a hobbyist project.

The GlandaGPU DRM kernel driver in current form is just short of one thousand lines of code. Those interested can see the [1]RFC patch series .

The GlandaGPU project itself is [2]hosted on GitHub complete with a demo video and more details on the design of this soft GPU core.

This does bring back memories of other past open-source GPU efforts like the failed [3]Libre-SoC but at least in the case of GlandaGPU there is at least this very basic soft GPU core design working and a proposed DRM kernel driver.



[1] https://lore.kernel.org/dri-devel/20260714101146.200416-1-kieweg.leander@gmail.com/

[2] https://github.com/stiangglanda/GlandaGPU

[3] https://www.phoronix.com/search/Libre-SOC