3mdeb has released Dasharo v0.9, a free firmware version for the Gigabyte MZ33-AR1 motherboard. This board supports AMD EPYC processors from the 9004 and 9005 series. The key point is that it integrates Coreboot with AMD openSIL, an unprecedented combination on a commercial EPYC board. Although openSIL is not ready for production until Zen 6, the port is functional and experimental.
How the bridge between Coreboot and openSIL works on EPYC 🖥️
The integration of AMD openSIL (Silicon Initialization Library) with Coreboot partially replaces the proprietary AGESA code. In this version, openSIL handles silicon initialization, while Coreboot manages the rest of the boot process. 3mdeb has had to adapt drivers and the ACPI table so that the system works with DDR5 memory and the 96 cores of the EPYC 9004. The result is a functional boot, albeit with limitations typical of alpha-phase code.
AMD openSIL: the firmware that arrives before the hardware that needs it 🚀
Seeing openSIL running on an EPYC 9004 is like watching a Formula 1 driver using winter tires. The technology is designed for Zen 6, but someone at 3mdeb said: What if we try it now?. And it worked, albeit at the pace of a hungover snail. While AMD promises openSIL for 2026, these folks have already put it through its paces. The current hardware is the perfect guinea pig.