Security researchers at Corellium have ported a version of Linux to the Apple Silicon M1 chip that will ultimately be released under an open-source license.
The Linux version is a full Ubuntu desktop operating system booted from a USB, according to Corellium Chief Technology Officer Chris Wade. Although details are scarce, he said that Linux is now “completely usable” on Apple Silicon machines.
Network compatibility is possible through a USB-C dongle, and the current update to the platform will support USB, I2C, and DART. The Ubuntu operating system is one initially meant for the ARM-based Raspberry Pi, Wade added.
There are some limitations to the port. While it can take full advantage of the M1 CPU, it won’t support GPU acceleration. That means graphics are currently set to software rendering mode, which will mean much slower graphical performance versus native performance in macOS.
The Correllium team first teased the Linux port to Apple Silicon earlier in January, though offered few other details. Earlier versions of the port on Github were for “advanced users only,” since they lacked support for USB and other key systems.
Read more at AppleInsider.com