linux-drivers/
drivers/gpu/drm/bridge

DRM Display Bridge Chip Drivers

A collection of drivers for display bridge chips, the small ICs that sit between a system-on-chip's display output and a panel to convert between signal formats such as DSI, eDP, LVDS, HDMI, and DisplayPort. These parts are widely used on laptops, phones, single-board computers, and embedded/automotive systems, with examples including the TI SN65DSI86 and NXP PTN3460.

keep conf=0.92 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=gpu category=graphics-display
92%

recommendation

It should stay in the kernel because the directory is actively maintained, picks up fixes and new chip support into 2025-2026, and the underlying hardware class is far from obsolete. Representative parts like TI's SN65DSI86 DSI-to-eDP bridge and NXP's PTN3460 eDP-to-LVDS bridge are still marketed as active in 2025, and these chips are common on laptops, embedded boards, and automotive displays.

repository signals

109 files
76,163 source lines
1,164 commits, 5y
+41,572 / −9,842 lines added / removed, 5y
222 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 1,164 total · active in 58/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 22 commits · +1,610 −353 2021-05: 16 commits · +318 −102 2021-06: 20 commits · +1,321 −517 2021-07: 7 commits · +69 −35 2021-08: 11 commits · +63 −39 2021-09: 8 commits · +324 −52 2021-10: 38 commits · +1,131 −483 2021-11: 13 commits · +532 −103 2021-12: 9 commits · +81 −37 2022-01: 23 commits · +4,045 −119 2022-02: 24 commits · +250 −187 2022-03: 39 commits · +1,742 −368 2022-04: 41 commits · +2,074 −263 2022-05: 21 commits · +144 −120 2022-06: 32 commits · +3,641 −108 2022-07: 30 commits · +268 −239 2022-08: 14 commits · +154 −111 2022-09: 16 commits · +115 −62 2022-10: 11 commits · +168 −107 2022-11: 35 commits · +194 −129 2022-12: 19 commits · +206 −185 2023-01: 24 commits · +430 −298 2023-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-03: 36 commits · +2,207 −147 2023-04: 20 commits · +142 −78 2023-05: 20 commits · +554 −140 2023-06: 26 commits · +297 −190 2023-07: 15 commits · +229 −200 2023-08: 31 commits · +1,178 −143 2023-09: 24 commits · +378 −220 2023-10: 10 commits · +74 −36 2023-11: 19 commits · +181 −120 2023-12: 23 commits · +511 −72 2024-01: 38 commits · +308 −230 2024-02: 15 commits · +528 −78 2024-03: 24 commits · +142 −358 2024-04: 25 commits · +309 −72 2024-05: 22 commits · +119 −173 2024-06: 36 commits · +506 −307 2024-07: 6 commits · +79 −125 2024-08: 5 commits · +182 −77 2024-09: 12 commits · +77 −30 2024-10: 14 commits · +1,547 −47 2024-11: 9 commits · +947 −27 2024-12: 28 commits · +1,651 −316 2025-01: 8 commits · +2,109 −11 2025-02: 23 commits · +777 −231 2025-03: 38 commits · +539 −457 2025-04: 19 commits · +91 −179 2025-05: 20 commits · +510 −604 2025-06: 10 commits · +133 −89 2025-07: 35 commits · +1,266 −306 2025-08: 13 commits · +2,434 −123 2025-09: 12 commits · +698 −56 2025-10: 10 commits · +1,216 −59 2025-11: 5 commits · +115 −26 2025-12: 10 commits · +52 −71 2026-01: 19 commits · +472 −338 2026-02: 8 commits · +77 −65 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. git.kernel.org

    Upstream activity is ongoing in this directory; recent substantive fixes and new bridge support indicate active maintenance rather than retirement.

  2. git.kernel.org

    The DRM bridge area is listed as maintained in MAINTAINERS, with multiple maintainers/reviewers and the whole directory covered.

  3. ti.com

    A representative bridge chip supported in this directory is still sold as ACTIVE by TI in 2025, showing the class is not obsolete.

  4. nxp.com

    Another representative supported bridge chip, NXP PTN3460, is listed Active, reinforcing ongoing new-hardware relevance.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

This is a real driver subtree, not a helper library. Local shell inspection showed 45 C files, many per-chip bridge drivers, and MAINTAINERS marks the area 'Maintained'; local git log also showed fresh 2025-2026 fixes/new support. No removal/deprecation discussion was found in web lore searches, so there is no evidence to escalate to deprecate/remove. Source acquisition: TI and NXP URLs were obtained via web search results; kernel.org URLs are canonical recall, with claims cross-checked against local shell reads of MAINTAINERS and git history.