Canonical has released the official Intel NPU driver for Linux in the Snap Store.
New Driver Intel NPU in Snap Format combines multiple components, including device firmware, user space driver, and compiler, as well as an application for testing the user mode driver and compiler. In other words: the driver includes everything needed for utilizing AI inference accelerators built into the latest processors. Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake series and above).
For this driver to work, you need to use software, tools, and applications that know how to utilize it to carry out AI tasks. In addition to command-line tools for LLM/ML, there are now OpenVINO AI plugins for GIMP and Audacity that can leverage Intel NPU for specific AI tasks.
If you are a lucky owner of a compatible processor, you can download the Intel NPU driver on Ubuntu right now.
sudo snap install --beta intel-npu-driver
The Intel NPU driver in Snap format is currently in beta, so stability is not guaranteed.
Source: linux.org.ru
