> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Mesa 25.1 Marks the End of Nouveau GL, Zink and NVK Take Over - URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/mesa-zink-nvk-switch/ - Published: 2025-03-12T10:55:33.000Z - Updated: 2025-03-12T10:55:33.000Z - Description: The upcoming Mesa 25.1 release will retire the old Nouveau OpenGL driver, opting for a modern solution. - Author: Sourav Rudra - Tags: Development Updates, News, #Import 2025-11-08 21:15 2025 looks like a big year for Linux graphics drivers. We recently got to know that the Rust-based Nova NVIDIA GPU driver could make it into the [upcoming Linux kernel 6.15](https://itsfoss.com/nova-gpu-driver-linux/) release, and the proprietary driver by NVIDIA made some [notable gains](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/details/241275/?ref=itsfoss.com) in terms of new features and improvements. And now it seems it is [Mesa](https://www.mesa3d.org/?ref=itsfoss.com)'s time to shine, as they have revealed an exciting change. **What's Happening:** In an [announcement blog](https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/news-and-events/goodbye-nouveau-gl-hello-zink.html?ref=itsfoss.com) by Faith Ekstrand of Collabora, a well-known Mesa developer, it has been announced that **the old Nouveau OpenGL driver won't be used by default on Nouveau systems anymore** for NVIDIA [Turing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing%5F%28microarchitecture%29?ref=itsfoss.com) and later GPUs, with a new Zink+NVK implementation taking its place. For clarifying things, Mesa is the open source graphics stack that is found on most Linux distributions that provides [OpenGL](https://www.opengl.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) and [Vulkan](https://www.vulkan.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) implementations for rendering 3D graphics on Linux. [Zink](https://docs.mesa3d.org/drivers/zink.html?ref=itsfoss.com), on the other hand, is also an OpenGL implementation, but one that's built on top of Vulkan as a Mesa [Gallium](https://docs.mesa3d.org/gallium/index.html?ref=itsfoss.com) driver that integrates well with Mesa's existing OpenGL implementation. In contrast, [NVK](https://docs.mesa3d.org/drivers/nvk.html?ref=itsfoss.com) is an open source Vulkan driver for NVIDIA GPUs that currently supports Turing and later GPUs, developed as part of the Mesa 3D graphics library. As for the outgoing [Nouveau OpenGL](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/tree/main/src/gallium/drivers/nouveau?ref=itsfoss.com) driver, it is a relic of the past that has many limitations, including poor performance, incomplete hardware support, and stability issues. **What to Expect:** Slightly better performance for one, with Zink having matured since its [initial launch](https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2018/10/31/introducing-zink-opengl-implementation-vulkan/?ref=itsfoss.com) back in 2018\. The Mesa developers are confident that this configuration will be a much better choice than the outgoing Nouveau OpenGL driver. Faith also added the following: > Often, it takes some time before the switch over to a compatibility layer is complete. The old drivers are battle-tested and the fear is always that the compatibility layer may introduce performance regressions or application issues. > Nouveau is the first Mesa driver stack to make this change so we've been finding and fixing a lot of issues ahead of the rest of Mesa. Part of what makes Nouveau a good trailblazer here is that the old Nouveau GL driver is actually pretty bad, so "Don't be worse than the hardware driver" isn't as high a bar for us as for other drivers. NVK, on the other hand, is proving to be pretty solid and Zink+NVK seems to be working well. It is wonderful to see developers pushing for modern solutions to old problems. Such initiatives only improve the appeal of Linux as a platform, attracting more users into this open ecosystem, away from [walled gardens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed%5Fplatform?ref=itsfoss.com). **Suggested Read** 📖 [Nvidia Driver Written in Rust Could Arrive With Linux Kernel 6.15The Nova GPU driver is still evolving, but a kernel debut is near.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/icon/android-chrome-192x192-32.png)It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/thumbnail/nova-gpu-driver-linux-kernel.png)](https://itsfoss.com/nova-gpu-driver-linux/)