AMD Navi 14 Workstation Graphics Cards Discovered In Linux Driver Update
AMD has barely scratched the desktop surface with its Navi GPU architecture—there are just two main models, the Radeon RX 5700 XT and Radeon RX 5700, and three overall if you count the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary Edition. It's a sure bet we will see more Navi cards in the future. That includes workstation models, as hinted by a breakdown of a recent patch for Linux.
Up to this point, AMD has leaned on its Vega GPU architecture for its latest workstation graphics cards. That includes the Radeon Pro Vega II and Radeon Pro Vega II Duo, both if which were introduced in June, coinciding with a refreshed Mac Pro desktop.
Since then, however, there have been clues pointing to Navi powering a new round of workstation cards. The folks at Phoronix have been following the situation, having spotted references to a Navi 14 GPU in late August, and again more recently in a Linux patch.
The code in the patch adds new Navi 14 PCI IDs to the AMDGPU Linux kernel DRM driver, and references a "workstation SKU" in the patch message. There are actually two IDs—0x7341 and 0x7347.
There is not not a lot revealed about the upcoming workstation cards, basically just their IDs, and a possible hint of virtualization support. Specs, including clockspeeds, memory configuration, and so forth will have to wait for another day.
That said, it's believed that Navi 14 is an entry-level GPU, so whatever cards the patch is reference are not likely to be barn burners in the professional space. We'll have to wait and see, though, and perhaps not very long.
