AMD Polaris 12 is seen in Linux drivers

When AMD announced and later launched its latest architecture Polaris, fourth generation Graphics Core Next (GCN), the company was clear that it would only consist of two graphics circuits. One is the Polaris 10 used in the Radeon RX 480 and RX 470, while the other is the Polaris 11 entry-level variant for the RX 460.

Despite this, a third circuit in the Polaris family may be on the way. The code for AMD’s latest Linux drivers contains six PCI ID loops, 0x6980, 0x6981, 0x6985, 0x6986, 0x6987 and 0x699F, which are used by the drivers to identify different graphics cards.

All are described with the hitherto unknown circuit name Polaris 12. Since the value is higher than Polaris 11, many have concluded that it is a smaller graphics circuit. However, this is not necessarily the case, as the figures only indicate the order in which AMD initiated the development of each circuit.

Polaris 12 can thus just as easily be something that places itself between the already existing duo or a larger and more powerful circuit than Polaris 10. It is also possible that it is an updated and more energy efficient variant of Polaris 10, something it has long been speculated that AMD working on.

Another possibility is that Polaris 12 is in fact Vega, but that AMD in its drivers has chosen to continue using Polaris as a name. What speaks against this is that the company’s upcoming enthusiast card based on Vega has the ID loop 687F: C1, which at least does not match the numbers from the Linux drivers.

Source: Phoronix