Your system has an AMD NPU (Neural Processing Unit), but the software stack required
to use it is not properly configured. The NPU requires specific firmware, kernel version,
driver, and runtime software to function.
Requirements:
NPU Firmware: Version 1.1.0.0 or later
Kernel: Must have the amdxdna driver (from kernel 7.0 or later, or via DKMS package as provided in instructions below)
Runtime: FLM (FastFlowLM) installed
System limits: Sufficient memlock limits (handled by Lemonade's systemd service)
If flm validate reports a firmware issue, ensure you have version 1.1.0.0 or later.
You can check your version manually with:
cat /sys/bus/pci/drivers/amdxdna/*/fw_version
If the firmware is older than 1.1.0.0, you'll need to update it through your Linux distribution (typically by updating the linux-firmware package).
2. Missing or Outdated amdxdna Driver
The NPU requires the amdxdna driver, which is included in Linux kernel 7.0 and later, or can be installed via the amdxdna-dkms package as described in the instructions above.
To check if the driver is loaded, run:
lsmod | grep amdxdna
If you do not see amdxdna listed, ensure you have either upgraded to a kernel with amdxdna support or installed the amdxdna-dkms package.
To check your kernel version (for reference):
uname -r
The kernel version is only relevant if you are relying on in-tree support. If using DKMS, the driver version is determined by the installed package.
3. Memlock limit too low
NPU workloads require the ability to lock memory. If you see an error like "Memlock limit is too low (8MB)", you need to increase it.
Most users do not need to adjust this manually if running Lemonade as a service: Lemonade's systemd service automatically sets LimitMEMLOCK=infinity for you.
If you are running FLM or NPU workloads outside of Lemonade, or not using the systemd service, you may need to set this manually:
Edit /etc/security/limits.conf:
sudo nano /etc/security/limits.conf
Add these lines at the end:
* soft memlock unlimited
* hard memlock unlimited
Then log out and log back in for changes to take effect.
Additional Resources
For detailed NPU setup instructions and troubleshooting: