M1 and M2 Macs running Linux support Conformant OpenGL ES 3.1 graphic drivers

Asahi Linux has launched Conformant OpenGL® ES 3.1 drivers for Apple Silicon Macs with M1 and M2 series GPUs.

The M1 and M2 Apple Silicon are system-on-chip (SoC) that feature all components of a computer like CPU, GPU, and RAM.

Linux is an operating system based on the Linux kernel and Asahi Linux is a project that aims to provide a polished Linux experience on Apple Silicon Macs.

Apple Silicon Macs on Linux can deliver an improved gaming experience

The first conformant GPU OpenGL ES 3.1 drivers for M1 and M2 Macs by Asahi Linux are now available. The GPU drivers are designed to deliver significant improvement in the gaming experience on Apple Silicon Macs running Linux by integrating Apple’s proprietary drivers with standard graphics APIs such as Vulkan, OpenGL, or OpenGL ES which were not compatible.

New drivers offer more stability and better performance from graphics-intensive applications like games.

Our reverse-engineered, free and open source graphics drivers are the world’s only conformant OpenGL ES 3.1 implementation for M1- and M2-family graphics hardware. That means our driver passed tens of thousands of tests to demonstrate correctness and is now recognized by the industry.

To become conformant, an “implementation” must pass the official conformance test suite, designed to verify every feature in the specification. The test results are submitted to Khronos, the standards body. After a 30-day review period, if no issues are found, the implementation becomes conformant. The Khronos website lists all conformant implementations, including our drivers for the M1, M1 Pro/Max/Ultra, M2, and M2 Pro/Max.

The first generation M1 Apple Silicon launched in 2020 which improved the gaming experience on Macs, along with performance and battery efficiency. Since then, several graphics-intensive games have been optimized for Apple Silicon Macs like Resident Evil: Village and Proteus.