Developers working on Linux graphics drivers are increasingly turning to AI tools to help maintain aging hardware, including AMD GPUs that lost official support years ago.
For Mesa 26.2, developer Gert Wollny used GitHub Copilot to assist with refactoring parts of the AMD R600 Gallium3D driver, which supports Radeon HD 2000 through HD 6000 graphics cards released between 2007 and 2010.
The work involved 59 commits aimed at cleaning up and improving the shader compiler code used by the driver.
Copilot assisted with refactoring
According to details published in a merge request, Wollny used Copilot’s auto mode during the effort.
“This series does a lot of refactoring to make the sfn shader compiler code a bit cleaner. The refactoring was done with the help of Copilot (auto mode),” Wollny wrote.
Individual patches also included references to Copilot.
Rather than generating entire projects, AI tools are being used to help reorganize and clean existing code. Human developers remain responsible for reviewing and approving the final changes.
Support continues after official updates ended
The R600 family includes AMD, formerly ATI, graphics cards ranging from the Radeon HD 2000 series to the HD 6000 series.
AMD no longer contributes upstream driver work for these products. Ongoing support largely comes from volunteers and enthusiasts maintaining the open-source Mesa drivers.
Wollny has been one of the project’s regular contributors. Previous work from him has included:
- Adding NIR backend support
- Improving compute capabilities
- Bringing newer Mesa features to older hardware
With a limited number of contributors, AI tools can help tackle time-consuming cleanup work that might otherwise remain unfinished.
Linux kernel rules require human accountability
The approach mirrors policies adopted by the Linux kernel project, which now permits developers to use AI tools.
The guidelines include several conditions:
- Only humans may add the Signed-off-by tag.
- Developers must certify the Developer Certificate of Origin themselves.
- Submissions should include an Assisted-by tag identifying the AI model or tool used.
- Human contributors remain responsible for testing, reviewing and submitting the final code.
Those requirements are intended to maintain transparency while allowing developers to use AI-assisted tools when needed.
The latest Mesa work shows how AI coding assistants are being used in open-source projects to help maintain software for graphics hardware that is approaching two decades old.
TL;DR
Mesa developer Gert Wollny used GitHub Copilot to help refactor the AMD R600 driver in Mesa 26.2. The changes benefit Radeon HD 2000 to HD 6000 GPUs, while human developers remain responsible for reviewing and submitting the code.
AI summary
- Gert Wollny used GitHub Copilot while working on Mesa 26.2.
- The changes affect Radeon HD 2000 to HD 6000 graphics cards.
- Fifty-nine commits focused on shader compiler cleanup.
- Support for these GPUs now comes mainly from volunteers.
- Linux kernel rules require humans to review and certify AI-assisted code.
