This patch to Mesa could give Linux apps on WSL the speed boost they need

Microsoft has submitted code to the Mesa project that drastically improves AV1 video processing on Windows Subsystem for Linux.

The open-source Mesa graphics library has just merged code submitted by Microsoft engineers that delivers a prototype for AV1 video processing using DirectX 12 hardware acceleration. Additionally, this patch delivers a modification to a core HEVC variable that could make it more reliable going forward.

According to Phoronix, Microsoft’s contribution to Mesa was made to improve Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) support. Right now, Linux graphical apps running in WSL require translation layers to function, as they are expecting standard open-source APIs like Mesa, but are running on top of the Windows kernel and Windows graphics drivers.

By submitting this patch, a bridge has been built where Linux apps in WSL can request accelerated AV1 encoding, and Mesa will pass the request to the Windows native Media Foundation layer and DirectX 12. DirectX 12 also works across different GPUs, so WSL has easy, hardware-accelerated video encoding across devices without having to worry about specific Linux driver bypasses for every GPU.

The patch is fairly lean, coming in at just 900 lines of code. With that said, it is still considered a prototype as it handles basic I and P frame encoding (fundamentals for compressed video), but lacks advanced compression features and B-frames.

This merge will primarily benefit WSL power users and developers who use WSL for video processing, AI workflows that ingest video, or streaming applications. Mesa development also benefits as Microsoft is contributing, rather than building a competing product.

The patch will appear in the upcoming Mesa 26.2 update.

Source: FreeDesktop via Phoronix

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Posted Tuesday 7 July 2026 at 2:15 pm AEST (my time).

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