NVIDIA Power Management

A small Python utility for Linux that configures the NVIDIA proprietary driver to use fine-grained (dynamic) runtime power management, reducing idle power draw on systems with an NVIDIA GPU.

It does this by writing the necessary udev and modprobe configuration files that NVIDIA's driver looks for, then enabling the nvidia-persistenced service.

What It Does

When run, the script:

1. Checks prerequisites
   • Confirms the NVIDIA proprietary driver is installed (by checking for nvidia-persistenced under /usr/lib/systemd/system).
   • Confirms the script is being run with sudo/root privileges.
2. Creates udev rules — /lib/udev/rules.d/80-nvidia-pm.rules Adds rules that set power/control to auto when the NVIDIA VGA/3D controller binds to its driver, and back to on when it unbinds. This allows the GPU to runtime-suspend when idle.
3. Creates modprobe options — /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia.conf Adds options nvidia "NVreg_DynamicPowerManagement=0x02" to enable fine-grained dynamic power management at the driver level. Optionally also adds options nvidia "NVreg_EnableGpuFirmware=0" if you choose to (this can help on systems where the open GSP firmware interferes with power management).
4. Enables nvidia-persistenced Runs systemctl enable nvidia-persistenced so persistence mode is managed automatically on boot.

If any of the rules are already present in the target files, the script detects that and skips re-adding them.

Requirements

• Linux system with the NVIDIA proprietary driver installed
• sudo / root privileges (required to write to /lib/udev/rules.d/ and /etc/modprobe.d/, and to manage the nvidia-persistenced service)
• Python 3

Usage

sudo python3 "NVIDIA Power Management.py"

The script will print a requirements check, then prompt for confirmation before making any changes:

 |-------------------------------------------------------|
 |       NVIDIA - ENABLE FINE-GRAINED POWER MANAGEMENT    |
 |-------------------------------------------------------|
 |  REQUIREMENTS:                                         |
 |  1) Have the NVIDIA Proprietary Driver Installed       |
 |  2) This Script Must Have Sudo Privileges               |
 |-------------------------------------------------------|
 |  REQUIREMENTS MET:                                      |
 |  1) NVIDIA DRIVER: INSTALLED                            |
 |  2) SUDO PRIVILEGES: TRUE                               |
 |-------------------------------------------------------|

Continue With NVIDIA Power Management Configuration (y/n):

After confirming, you'll optionally be asked whether to also add the NVreg_EnableGpuFirmware=0 modprobe option.

A reboot is required after running the script for the new udev rules and modprobe options to take effect.

Files Modified

File	Purpose
/lib/udev/rules.d/80-nvidia-pm.rules	Runtime PM udev rules for the NVIDIA PCI device
/etc/modprobe.d/nvidia.conf	Driver module options enabling dynamic power management
nvidia-persistenced.service	Enabled via systemctl so persistence mode runs at boot

Notes / Limitations

• The script exits without making changes if the NVIDIA driver isn't detected or if it isn't run with sudo.
• It assumes /lib/udev/rules.d/80-nvidia-pm.rules and /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia.conf already exist on disk (e.g. as empty files) before it tries to read/append to them — create them first if they aren't already present on your system.
• Tested on systems using the NVIDIA proprietary driver; behavior with the open-source nouveau driver is not supported.
• Always review the resulting configuration files before rebooting, especially if you have an existing custom power management setup.

License

No license specified yet — add one (e.g. MIT) if you'd like others to freely use or contribute to this project.