Projects like have made progress on the MSM8953 (specifically the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 – mido ). However, the current status is:
If your driver tries to read or write to a register ( readl / writel ) while the corresponding clock in the Global Clock Controller (GCC) or Power Domain is turned off, the ARM64 CPU will instantly throw an kernel panic.
Developing or porting an ARM64 driver for the MSM8953 requires a firm grasp of the Qualcomm architecture, Linux kernel driver models, and the device tree syntax. 1. Hardware Architecture Overview
Let’s demonstrate a simple virtual character driver for MSM8953 on ARM64. This logs the CPU architecture at insmod time. msm8953 for arm64 driver
ARM64, also known as AArch64, is a 64-bit instruction set architecture (ISA) developed by ARM Holdings. It's used in many modern processors, including the MSM8953. ARM64 provides a large address space, improved performance, and increased security features compared to its 32-bit predecessor.
The is a mid-range mobile SoC from Qualcomm, released in 2016 and marketed under the brand name Snapdragon 625 . It is a pivotal 64-bit platform that brought significant power efficiency improvements through its 14nm manufacturing process. Understanding the ARM64 driver architecture for this SoC is crucial for developers working on custom Android ROMs, postmarketOS, or embedded Linux projects.
This example initializes a kernel module and prints a message to the kernel log. You'll need to add your MSM8953-specific code to interact with the processor's hardware components. Projects like have made progress on the MSM8953
Functions like devm_kzalloc automatically free memory, unmap registers, and release clocks if the probe fails or the driver is detached. This eliminates memory leaks and simplifies error paths.
The Ultimate Guide to the MSM8953 for ARM64 Driver: Mainlining and Development
Most manufacturers release kernel tarballs: ARM64, also known as AArch64, is a 64-bit
Power management is handled by several layers:
Understanding the msm8953 ARM64 kernel ecosystem requires a distinction between two types of drivers: Driver Attribute Downstream (Vendor Kernel) Mainline (Upstream Kernel) Qualcomm & Device Manufacturers (OEMs) Kernel.org / Community Kernel Version Outdated (e.g., v3.18 or v4.9) Modern ARM64 Linux (e.g., v6.x) Code Quality Filled with heavy, non-standard vendor hacks Clean, peer-reviewed, standard APIs Security Patches Permanently EOL (End-of-Life) Active upstream LTS updates Graphics Stack Proprietary Adreno blobs Open-source Freedreno / KGSL
i2c_3: i2c@78b70000 compatible = "qcom,i2c-qup-v2.2.1"; reg = ; # Physical address register and size interrupts = ; clocks = <&gcc GCC_BLSP1_AHB_CLK>, <&gcc GCC_BLSP1_QUP3_I2C_APPS_CLK>; clock-names = "iface", "core"; pinctrl-names = "default", "sleep"; pinctrl-0 = <&i2c3_default>; pinctrl-1 = <&i2c3_sleep>; #address-cells = ; #size-cells = ; status = "disabled"; ; Use code with caution. 3. Core Subsystem Drivers