linux-drivers/
drivers/gpu/drm/msm/dp

Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM DisplayPort Controller

The DisplayPort output controller built into Qualcomm Snapdragon and MSM systems-on-chip, driving external monitors over native DP and USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode on Snapdragon-based phones, embedded boards, Chromebooks, and the newer Snapdragon X laptops and mini-desktops sold from 2024 onward.

keep conf=0.90 last_sold=2026 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=gpu category=graphics-display
90%

recommendation

It should stay because this is the DisplayPort output block for current Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware, with active upstream development as recently as April 2026 (including USB-C hot-plug IRQ work) and no sign of replacement. Snapdragon X laptops and desktops shipping through 2025-2026 rely on it for external monitors, so removing it would break display output on a growing class of new ARM PCs.

repository signals

19 files
9,423 source lines
299 commits, 5y
+9,312 / −9,964 lines added / removed, 5y
55 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 299 total · active in 54/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 9 commits · +69 −28 2021-05: 6 commits · +181 −154 2021-06: 3 commits · +16 −9 2021-07: 7 commits · +51 −56 2021-08: 8 commits · +128 −64 2021-09: 2 commits · +6 −6 2021-10: 12 commits · +316 −415 2021-11: 6 commits · +47 −14 2021-12: 9 commits · +141 −30 2022-01: 6 commits · +128 −123 2022-02: 14 commits · +748 −713 2022-03: 3 commits · +8 −49 2022-04: 14 commits · +307 −174 2022-05: 3 commits · +18 −10 2022-06: 13 commits · +167 −212 2022-07: 1 commit · +2 −115 2022-08: 3 commits · +4 −5 2022-09: 9 commits · +81 −39 2022-10: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-11: 1 commit · +1 −1 2022-12: 9 commits · +165 −68 2023-01: 3 commits · +59 −61 2023-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-03: 5 commits · +462 −20 2023-04: 2 commits · +20 −1 2023-05: 5 commits · +61 −309 2023-06: 2 commits · +4 −12 2023-07: 1 commit · +1 −1 2023-08: 9 commits · +30 −149 2023-09: 4 commits · +17 −30 2023-10: 6 commits · +85 −107 2023-11: 1 commit · +21 −15 2023-12: 10 commits · +182 −279 2024-01: 19 commits · +648 −1,216 2024-02: 14 commits · +454 −152 2024-03: 14 commits · +163 −242 2024-04: 1 commit · +17 −31 2024-05: 1 commit · +20 −40 2024-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-07: 2 commits · +7 −5 2024-08: 1 commit · +10 −9 2024-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-10: 5 commits · +1,938 −1,930 2024-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-12: 12 commits · +142 −422 2025-01: 1 commit · +18 −16 2025-02: 6 commits · +56 −35 2025-03: 1 commit · +14 −28 2025-04: 1 commit · +5 −4 2025-05: 16 commits · +1,964 −2,386 2025-06: 1 commit · +2 −0 2025-07: 4 commits · +16 −13 2025-08: 1 commit · +4 −2 2025-09: 2 commits · +136 −77 2025-10: 1 commit · +9 −0 2025-11: 1 commit · +2 −2 2025-12: 2 commits · +131 −41 2026-01: 1 commit · +18 −6 2026-02: 2 commits · +2 −2 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    Upstream activity is current and functional, with a 2026 patch touching dp_display.c to handle USB-C HPD IRQ events.

  2. qualcomm.com

    Qualcomm announced Snapdragon X devices from major OEMs for early 2025 and stated there were over 60 designs in production or development.

  3. qualcomm.com

    Current Snapdragon X desktop systems are marketed for multi-monitor external-display setups, showing the display-output hardware class remains in new deployments.

  4. git.kernel.org

    This directory is the in-tree Qualcomm MSM DRM DisplayPort driver block, not a helper-only library.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Real driver directory with 9 C files and DRM/MSM DP entry points. `lore_file_timeline` on dp_display.c showed heavy 2021-2026 churn (including 2024-2026) and a newest touch on 2026-04-20; `lore_activity` confirmed recent functional patches rather than retirement work. A `lore_regex` removal/deprecation scan timed out twice, so no positive removal evidence was found; sampled lore instead points to ongoing maintenance. Web search found Qualcomm 2025/2026 Snapdragon X product pages showing new OEM systems and active external-display use cases. Kernel tree URL is canonical recall. Conclusion: this hardware block is still shipping in modern Qualcomm PCs/embedded devices, has no natural replacement outside the broader `msm` DRM stack, and should be kept.