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Asahi Linux’s report accompanying Linux 7.3 describes progress on upstreaming Apple Silicon support, making M3 support generally available, and virtualizing macOS on M4 and M5 systems through m1n1. It also reports early M3 GPU reverse-engineering progress and says Thunderbolt support patches are on the mailing list; several features remain works in progress.
Asahi Linux has published a new progress report alongside Linux 7.3, describing upstream submissions for Apple Silicon audio and video drivers, broader support for M3 Macs, and new virtualization work on M4 and M5 systems. The report also details early M3 GPU reverse engineering and says Thunderbolt patches are on the Linux mailing list, though it does not establish that Thunderbolt support is already available to users.
The project says two major drivers are now being prepared for upstream review: macaudio, for Apple Silicon audio, and AVD, a video-related SoC component. The audio work required changes to core ALSA support and modifications to existing amplifier drivers, according to Asahi. Its driver and device-tree changes total about 3,100 lines. The AVD driver and related device-tree work amount to about 13,000 lines; the project says the driver moved from its downstream tree to the submission list in less than three months.
Asahi also reports initial device trees for M4 Pro and M4 Max systems and M5 machines. These are described as bare-bones: they can boot to a text console, but do not represent full hardware support. The project says it has started an upstream-first approach where practical, citing work on TI USB-PD and SPMI drivers for new devices and initial Thunderbolt support.
For M3 systems, Asahi says support no longer requires the installer’s EXPERT flag. The project reports that early adopters produced almost no issues and points to display-controller support as a key improvement. According to the report, this work also enables sleep and makes the area around the MacBook notch usable. Kernel and m1n1 updates were expected in the days after publication.
Broader Apple Silicon Linux Support
The report matters because upstream Linux support can reduce the amount of hardware-specific code Asahi must maintain separately. The project’s move toward upstream-first development may make improvements easier to review and incorporate into Linux, although the drivers described are at submission or development stages rather than confirmed as merged.
Wider M3 availability also lowers the barrier for owners of those Macs who want to run Asahi Linux. The reported display and sleep improvements address practical limitations, while the M3 GPU remains a major gap: the team has reached initialization and triangle rendering, not full graphics support. Work on M4 and M5 virtualization helps researchers study Apple’s operating systems and hardware behavior, but the report does not describe this as a consumer feature.
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From Downstream Work to Review
Asahi Linux develops Linux support for Apple Silicon Macs, where hardware documentation and platform differences make driver development and reverse engineering important parts of the work. Its project reports track both support available to users and code being developed for eventual upstream review; those statuses are not interchangeable.
The report follows an earlier announcement of initial M3 support behind an EXPERT installer flag. It also revisits a previous preview of virtualizing macOS versions that use Apple’s Secure Page Table Monitor (SPTM). For M5, the project says compatible macOS versions also require Exclaves, isolated applications managed by the Secure Kernel. The m1n1 boot environment can now run three virtual machines at EL1, allowing the team to virtualize and reverse engineer macOS on M4 and M5 machines, according to Asahi.
“We have also begun shifting to an upstream-first approach where practical.”
— Asahi Linux project
Features Still Under Development
The report does not say which Linux release, if any, will include the submitted macaudio, AVD or Thunderbolt changes, or when they may be accepted. Mailing-list submission is not the same as upstream merging. The initial M4 and M5 device trees only support booting to a text console, and the report provides no timetable for broader support.
M3 GPU work remains at an early stage, with a successful triangle draw serving as a research milestone rather than evidence of complete graphics acceleration. Asahi also does not provide a detailed compatibility list or performance measurements for the expanded M3 support. Its assessment that early M3 use produced almost no issues is the project’s account, not a published independent evaluation.
Upcoming Kernel and Driver Work
Asahi said m1n1 and kernel updates were expected in the days following the report, including changes related to M3 support. The project’s next steps include continuing device enablement for M4 and M5 systems, advancing M3 GPU reverse engineering, and responding to review of driver and device-tree submissions on the Linux mailing list. The report gives no release dates for those developments.
Key Questions
What is new in Asahi Linux’s Linux 7.3 progress report?
The report covers upstream driver submissions, general availability of M3 support without the EXPERT installer flag, m1n1 virtualization on M4 and M5, early M3 GPU work and Thunderbolt patches submitted to the mailing list.
Does this mean Thunderbolt works in Asahi Linux now?
Not necessarily. Asahi says initial Thunderbolt support is on the mailing list. The report does not say that the patches have been merged or are available in a user release.
What can the initial M4 and M5 device trees do?
According to Asahi, the initial device trees are bare-bones and can boot the systems to a text console. They do not indicate complete hardware support.
Is M3 graphics support complete?
No. The project reports that researchers have initialized the M3 GPU and drawn a triangle. It describes further reverse engineering and integration work as ongoing.
What does upstream-first development mean here?
It means developing changes in the mainline Linux project where practical, rather than first maintaining them only in Asahi’s separate downstream code. The report says some work follows this approach, while the status of individual patches depends on review and acceptance.
Source: asahilinux.org
