linux-drivers/
drivers/gpu/drm/msm/disp

Qualcomm Snapdragon MDP and DPU display controllers

Display-controller blocks inside Qualcomm Snapdragon and APQ SoCs, spanning the older MDP4 and MDP5 generations and the modern DPU pipeline used in current Snapdragon 8-series phones and Snapdragon X-series Windows-on-Arm laptops. It drives panels and external display outputs on Qualcomm-based Android phones, Chromebooks, and PCs.

keep conf=0.96 deploy=high replacement=none subsystem=gpu category=graphics-display
96%

recommendation

It should stay because this is the in-tree display engine for one of the most widely shipped SoC families on the planet, with no alternative driver. Active upstream development continued into 2025-2026, including new support for upcoming parts like Kaanapali and Glymur, and Qualcomm announced over 60 Snapdragon X PC designs in production plus the global Galaxy S25 launch in early 2025, so new hardware depending on this code is still arriving.

repository signals

125 files
48,602 source lines
1,095 commits, 5y
+38,640 / −30,366 lines added / removed, 5y
117 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 1,095 total · active in 60/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 14 commits · +691 −218 2021-05: 24 commits · +706 −2,389 2021-06: 8 commits · +381 −702 2021-07: 9 commits · +112 −111 2021-08: 5 commits · +18 −22 2021-09: 14 commits · +296 −199 2021-10: 10 commits · +327 −86 2021-11: 7 commits · +32 −74 2021-12: 22 commits · +399 −381 2022-01: 10 commits · +378 −220 2022-02: 43 commits · +938 −1,154 2022-03: 3 commits · +64 −57 2022-04: 45 commits · +3,030 −872 2022-05: 20 commits · +103 −93 2022-06: 36 commits · +754 −712 2022-07: 6 commits · +70 −56 2022-08: 3 commits · +5 −18 2022-09: 4 commits · +34 −18 2022-10: 4 commits · +28 −40 2022-11: 8 commits · +121 −29 2022-12: 18 commits · +803 −65 2023-01: 20 commits · +431 −237 2023-02: 21 commits · +111 −163 2023-03: 45 commits · +1,167 −1,219 2023-04: 80 commits · +4,439 −3,861 2023-05: 33 commits · +880 −485 2023-06: 23 commits · +669 −310 2023-07: 66 commits · +4,233 −2,607 2023-08: 18 commits · +293 −402 2023-09: 13 commits · +115 −110 2023-10: 19 commits · +950 −448 2023-11: 2 commits · +21 −2 2023-12: 60 commits · +1,756 −1,232 2024-01: 1 commit · +2 −2 2024-02: 26 commits · +1,754 −425 2024-03: 3 commits · +40 −12 2024-04: 19 commits · +1,343 −4,755 2024-05: 8 commits · +102 −36 2024-06: 15 commits · +550 −111 2024-07: 1 commit · +2 −2 2024-08: 3 commits · +75 −19 2024-09: 24 commits · +1,304 −347 2024-10: 15 commits · +702 −177 2024-11: 3 commits · +512 −545 2024-12: 28 commits · +1,114 −178 2025-01: 10 commits · +148 −81 2025-02: 32 commits · +935 −482 2025-03: 23 commits · +163 −195 2025-04: 22 commits · +750 −313 2025-05: 34 commits · +389 −924 2025-06: 12 commits · +1,030 −202 2025-07: 8 commits · +54 −59 2025-08: 8 commits · +43 −26 2025-09: 15 commits · +443 −327 2025-10: 10 commits · +727 −32 2025-11: 15 commits · +486 −1,645 2025-12: 22 commits · +289 −626 2026-01: 13 commits · +1,263 −138 2026-02: 5 commits · +36 −61 2026-03: 1 commit · +2 −2 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. cateee.net

    LKDDb shows CONFIG_DRM_MSM_DPU is current through 6.19 and 7.0-rc+HEAD, and maps this directory's dpu_kms.c to modern Qualcomm compatibles including qcom,kaanapali-dpu and qcom,glymur-dpu.

  2. cateee.net

    LKDDb shows the same directory still carries active MDP5 support in current kernels, covering long-lived Snapdragon/APQ platforms rather than a removed legacy-only branch.

  3. qualcomm.com

    Qualcomm said in January 2025 that Snapdragon X Series had over 60 PC designs in production or development and more than 100 coming by 2026, indicating ongoing new deployments for Qualcomm display-capable SoCs.

  4. qualcomm.com

    Qualcomm announced Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy powering the Galaxy S25 series globally in January 2025, confirming fresh flagship mobile shipments on this platform family.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Not an early-exit case: this is substantive MSM DRM display-controller code (mdp4/mdp5/dpu1), not docs/tests/helpers. Local shell inspection showed current catalog headers for recent SoCs (including SM8750, X1E80100, Kaanapali). Local `exec_command` git history on the path showed active 2025-2026 upstream work, including multiple fixes plus `drm/msm/dpu: Add support for Kaanapali DPU` and no clear path-wide removal/deprecation series; that backs a keep decision, not deprecate/remove. Cited URLs were obtained via web search: LKDDb pages from `turn2search4` and `turn2search5`, Qualcomm deployment pages from `turn0search3` and `turn3search6`. No natural replacement driver exists upstream; this directory is the in-tree Qualcomm MSM display implementation for these SoCs.