February 12, 2026
C drivers on thin ice
The Future for Tyr, a Rust GPU Driver for Arm Mali Hardware
Rust takes the wheel on Mali GPUs; comments go full metal
TLDR: A Rust-driven graphics project for Arm Mali chips showed a playable demo, just as Linux maintainers signaled new GPU drivers may soon need Rust, not C. Commenters split between hype, jokes, and stability worries—especially with missing power-saving and crash recovery—because this could shape graphics on millions of devices.
The Tyr team just went from “nothing to show” to playing the 3D racer SuperTuxKart live—proof their Rust-based graphics driver for Arm’s Mali chips can actually run. Then came the plot twist: kernel maintainer Dave Airlie said the Linux graphics subsystem (DRM, the display/graphics part of the kernel) is about a year from rejecting new C drivers in favor of Rust. Cue the comment section: half hype, half “wait, is my PC safe?”
Fans cheered the demo, with one dev swooning, “Can’t wait,” while seasoned users fired back with battle scars. The sharpest take? A sarcastic swipe at crash-prone PCs: “Someone tell whoever wrote my drivers.” Another thread derailed into band jokes because yes, Tyr is also a Danish metal group. Meanwhile, practical voices asked for foundations that last—because this prototype still lacks power management (saving battery and heat) and recovery if the graphics chip freezes.
The vibe: Rust is the shiny new seatbelt for Linux drivers, but people want proof it won’t yank the wheel. The stakes feel huge—Mali powers loads of phones—and the community is split between optimism and eye-rolls. Expect more refactors, collabs (Arm, Collabora, Google), and drama as Tyr races upstream. For the curious, check out Rust and the Linux kernel for context.
Key Points
- •Tyr, a Rust GPU kernel driver for Arm Mali, progressed to a working prototype in 2025, demonstrated running 3D games at LPC with Arm, Collabora, and Google’s involvement.
- •Linux graphics maintainer Dave Airlie indicated the DRM subsystem may require Rust for new drivers in about a year, increasing urgency for Rust-based efforts.
- •A minimal Tyr version landed in Linux 6.18 but is limited due to missing Rust abstractions; a more capable downstream prototype guides upstream design.
- •Current gaps include lack of power management, frequency scaling, and GPU hang recovery, with necessary Rust abstractions not yet available.
- •The team plans a 2026 roadmap to upstream Tyr, align with the Nova Rust GPU driver, and target Mali’s widespread use in phones and embedded platforms.