AMD has issued a statement to say that it will be ceasing the development of drivers for 32-bit Windows systems. It says such support has been moved to 'legacy support mode' so future driver releases will be 64-bit only. AMD abandoned Windows 8.1 32-bit Radeon driver support back in Feb 2017 because "nobody cares," but Nvidia beat it to the decision to cease developing 32-bit drivers entirely when it signalled the change back in December last year.
What AMD means by legacy support is that it won't be providing any updated 32-bit Radeon Software unless some critical issues appear / are discovered in the existing drivers. Most new AAA games have moved to 64-bit only, with their spiralling RAM demands, so there shouldn't be too many AMD gamers upset by the move as long as critical patches, to patch up security gaffes and similar, are still covered.
AMD's full statement, made in response to enquiries by Japanese site 4Gamer, is reproduced below:
"AMD Radeon Software support for x32-bit Windows operating systems has been moved to a legacy support mode -- we are not planning to support x32-bit Windows operating systems in future driver releases. This change enables AMD to dedicate valuable engineering resources to developing new features and enhancements for graphics products based on the latest x64-bit Windows based operating systems.
Users can continue to use existing x32-bit drivers if they so choose. However, for those who are passionate about gaming and want to continue receiving the best of Radeon Software features and performance, we recommend they consider upgrading to a x64-bit Windows operating system."
4Gamer noted one further driver related news nugget. It relayed that the latest Radeon driver update now includes support for China-only SKUs such as the recently unearthed Radeon RX 580 2048SP, as well as the lesser-spotted RX 580G, and RX 570G.
AMD has traditionally pushed out a major driver software suite update towards the end of the year. The milestone Crimson ReLive release was followed up last year by the Adrenalin Edition, and we expect a similar revamp effort in the coming months - but it will eschew 32-bit users.
