The new version Coreboot 25.03 It is now available and arrives with a host of significant new features that strengthen the capabilities of this free alternative to proprietary firmware. Those already using this solution to replace the traditional BIOS or looking to update it on compatible devices now have more options and technical improvements that translate into a more stable and versatile experience.
In this edition, Coreboot expands its support with more than twenty new motherboards and implements significant modifications on several fronts, from graphical handling and memory initialization routines to new solutions for RISC-V architecture, peripherals, and integrated controllers. All of this maintains its minimalist, OS-independent approach, facilitating the startup of various platforms within an open environment.
New boards supported in Coreboot 25.03
One of the most notable additions in this version is the expansion of supported hardware22 new motherboards have been added, many of them used by Google Chromebooks, but also by devices from well-known manufacturers such as ASRock, ASUS, HP, Lenovo, and StarLabs. This list is in response to an ongoing effort to make Coreboot easier to use on modern computers, as well as on slightly older systems that are still supported in certain environments.
Full list of new supported boards:
- AMD Crater for Renoir SoC
- ASROCK Z87 Extreme3, Extreme4, Z87M Extreme4 and Pro4
- ASUS P8H67-I DELUXE
- Google Dirks, Guren, Meliks, Moxie, Ocelot, Pujjoniru, Quandiso2 and Wyrdeer
- HP Pro 3400 Series
- Intel Ptlrvp (reference platform for Panther Lake)
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M900
- NovaCustom V540TU (14”) and V560TU (16”)
- StarLabs StarLite Mk V Smart Battery (N200), StarBook Mk VII (165H and N200)
Technical improvements and new features
Among the most relevant changes at the technical level are: improvements in screen management, including automatic logo rotation for devices in portrait orientation. The display when the laptop lid is closed has also been fine-tuned, prioritizing external displays without causing orientation errors.
As for USB debugging, The find_usbdebug.sh script has been adapted to new versions of usbutils (from v016 onwards), correcting the failure caused by the change of format in the output of lsusb -tThis makes it easier to work in environments with different versions of diagnostic tools.
The CPU topology has also been revisedA bug affecting the Meteor Lake architecture related to duplicate core IDs has been fixed, which caused crashes when attempting to write to protected registers. An additional field is now defined in the topology structure to ensure unique identification of each core within the physical package.
New features in battery management and early shutdown in Coreboot 25.03
Low battery notification logic has been relocated, previously coupled with Intel's Firmware Support Package (FSP) driver. This functionality now resides outside of the FSP code, allowing more platforms (including those not using FSP) to display warnings or perform safe shutdowns in the event of critical power.
Furthermore, Added a Kconfig option to enable early shutdownThis allows controlled power outages even before full memory initialization, a useful feature especially on Intel platforms where specific operations are required before a full system boot.
Compatibility and performance improvements with Coreboot 25.03
RAM support is expanded Thanks to initialization improvements for older platforms like Haswell, which benefits computers with processors still in use today. Support for DDR5 at 7500 MT/s has also been enabled, expanding the possibilities on modern hardware.
Other notable advances include:
- Increased support for USB Type-C and Thunderbolt peripherals
- Optimization of thermal and energy management
- Improvements to compilation, development tools, and documentation
- Extended support for touchpads, TPM, and security features
- Increases in ACPI compatibility and embedded devices (EC)
Development statistics
This launch has been the result of a remarkable collective effort.From the previous version 24.12 to this one, 1.001 commits have been recorded, with an average of 10 contributions per day. In total, 88.158 lines of code have been added and 22.900 removed, reflecting an intense development phase. 131 authors participated, including 29 first-time contributors to the project. Those interested in more Coreboot releases can review the article on Coreboot 24.05.
Known issues yet to be resolved
Some issues remain open These issues affect both the general level (architectures or payloads) and specific platforms. These include incompatibilities with SeaBIOS or EDK2 versions in Windows 10/11, USB keyboard failures in certain configurations, or microcode conflicts in older systems. Boot failures have also been reported on certain models when connecting external monitors or using specific graphics cards.
Among the most relevant cases:
- ACPI errors with Windows on Thinkpads (e.g., W530)
- WiFi recognition failure on Lenovo M700 Tiny computers
- USB keyboard issues on secondary platforms
- Limitations when using multi-core CPUs on certain motherboards
While these bugs don't affect the overall system, they highlight the diversity of hardware and the complexity of maintaining an open solution that interacts correctly with such diverse devices.
The project has also updated some external tools such as CMake (now at version 3.31.3) and ACPICA (updated to 20241212), strengthening compatibility with modern development infrastructure.
Coreboot version 25.03 represents a significant step forward. For those seeking greater control over their system startup, eliminating dependencies on closed firmware. With more compatible boards, visible stability improvements, and expanded support for memory and peripherals, this release reaffirms the project's technical maturity and adaptability to current and legacy hardware.