How Hard Is It to Test the GPU Driver?

Explore the intricate world of GPU driver testing in this 29-minute conference talk by David Heidelberg from the Linux Foundation. Delve into the complexities behind ensuring seamless 3D acceleration and the rigorous processes involved before new code is merged into the Mesa3D library. Gain insights into the challenges faced in maintaining compatibility with games and applications across various APIs, including Vulkan and OpenGL. Learn about essential testing infrastructure such as GitLab CI, LAVA, and Tron-CI, as well as the extensive hardware involved, including hundreds of embedded boards and GPUs. Understand the distinctions between testing kernel and user-space components, and discover strategies for handling unexpected behaviors at multiple levels of the GPU driver stack.