AMD’s RDNA 4 consumer graphics cards will lack official support for ROCm at their launch. During a recent press briefing, AMD confirmed that ROCm support for the new series would not be available on launch day, with no specific timeline provided for when it will be introduced.
Understanding ROCm
ROCm, short for Radeon Open Compute Ecosystem, serves as AMD’s open-source alternative to Nvidia’s CUDA platform. This software stack is designed to facilitate high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) workflows for both consumer and prosumer applications. Since 2022, ROCm has had official support for AMD’s consumer products on Windows. However, its uptake in the consumer market has not yet matched the comprehensive support provided by CUDA, which has historically delivered compatibility for Nvidia’s consumer products upon their initial release.
ROCm Support Details
Notably, the Navi 48 GPU die, which is integral to the upcoming graphics cards, had its first mention in ROCm Validation Suite documentation about a year ago. The absence of ROCm readiness at launch for the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 may seem ironic, given the GPU’s earlier incorporation into ROCm documentation. While these new cards may not have official ROCm support right at launch, it does not preclude them from functioning with the software, a scenario common in previous AMD releases.
Current State of ROCm
When AMD first launched ROCm for consumer cards, the initial support included only a limited range of products: the RX 6900 XT, RX 6600, and surprisingly, the older R9 Fury from 2015, with complete support granted only to the R9 Fury. Presently, ROCm supports the entire RX 7000 series and most of the RX 6000 series on Windows, but some lower-end models still lack HIP SDK support. Furthermore, Linux compatibility is restricted to the RX 7900 and Radeon VII.
Comparison with CUDA
In contrast to CUDA’s reliable support for Nvidia’s latest consumer graphics cards at launch—alongside extensive backward compatibility dating back to 2006—ROCm still has much to accomplish. AMD has acknowledged user feedback requesting broader ROCm support, particularly for the RX 6000 series and Strix mobile chips, indicating that full compatibility may take longer than anticipated as AMD responds to user preferences.
Future Expectations
Currently, despite the absence of full official support, users should not assume that ROCm will be unresponsive on the latest cards starting in March when RDNA 4 becomes available. For detailed updates regarding the RX 9070 series, Navi 48, and the RDNA 4 architecture, interested readers can find comprehensive information in AMD’s announcements relating to the new graphics cards.