NVIDIA Blackwell-Next name spotted in Linux kernel patch

Linux 7.2 prepares CXL path for NVIDIA Blackwell-Next GPUs

NVIDIA engineers are already preparing Linux support for hardware listed as “Blackwell-Next.”

The name appears in a Linux kernel patch for the NVGrace-GPU VFIO driver. The change adds a CXL DVSEC-based readiness check for Blackwell-Next GPUs, while keeping the existing BAR0 polling path for current Grace Blackwell hardware.

Blackwell-Next appears in Linux VFIO driver

The patch is part of the VFIO subsystem work for the Linux 7.2 cycle. It updates how the driver checks whether GPU memory is ready after probe or reset.

Source: Kernel.org

The code is tied to NVIDIA’s NVGrace-GPU driver, which is used for Grace-based data center platforms and virtualization support. So, this does not confirm a new consumer GPU generation. The change is more likely related to NVIDIA’s next data center hardware than GeForce products.

What we do know, officailly, is that NVIDIA has already announced Rubin as the next AI platform after Blackwell. The company confirmed Rubin back in 2025, with Vera CPU, Rubin GPU, NVLink 6, ConnectX-9, BlueField-4 and Spectrum-6 as part of the platform.

Data-Center roadmap, Source: NVIDIA

Rubin and the later Feynman architecture are also expected to appear in consumer GPU lineups. NVIDIA has already shown that its RTX Spark systems will use new N-series chips based on Blackwell, with Rubin-based versions reportedly planned later.

It seems the separation between data center and consumer GPU architecture names is no longer as clear as it once was. At this point, it may be safer to assume that the same public codenames will also apply to future GeForce products, unless NVIDIA confirms otherwise.

Source: Kernel.org via Phoronix

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