AMD has released source code for BIOS of a Gigabyte Technology
motherboard. The move will allow Open Source developers to reprogram BIOS
according to their needs. It will help Linux users to get better overclocking
functionality or unlock some of the features.
The BIOS has been released under the GPL and relates to the Gigabyte M57SLI-S4 motherboard's BIOS. Gigabyte M57SLI-S4 motherboard is based on Nvidia Nforce 570 SLI core-logic, and supports various AMD processors in socket AM2 form. The board also supports four slots for DDR2 memory, two PCI Express x16 slots for two graphics cards in multi-GPU SLI mode, three PCI Express x1 ports for add-in cards, six Serial ATA-300 connectors for hard disk drives with RAID support, ten USB 2.0 connectors and three Firewire ports.
The Free Software Foundation has been campaigning for some time for a Free BIOS because it is a key component in the software stack of personal computers. We don’t know if this is an isolated case of more manufactures will release their bioses for public use. It is an outdated motherboard but it is a step forward.