linux-drivers/
drivers/media/platform/qcom/venus

Qualcomm Venus video encode/decode accelerator

Qualcomm's Venus is the hardware video encoder/decoder block built into many of their Snapdragon and IoT-class SoCs, including the SC7180, SC7280, SM8250, and the long-lived QCM2290. It handles H.264, HEVC, and VP9 acceleration for phones, Chromebooks, and camera/IoT devices, exposed to userspace through the V4L2 stateful codec interface.

keep conf=0.92 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=media category=media-other
92%

recommendation

It should stay in the kernel because the hardware is still actively shipping in current Qualcomm products and the driver is under active development. Qualcomm has committed to supplying the QCM2290 through at least November 2030 for IoT and camera applications, and upstream patch traffic in 2026 shows both routine maintenance (firmware declaration cleanups) and new-SoC enablement work like MSM8939 support, with no signs of deprecation.

repository signals

36 files
19,616 source lines
216 commits, 5y
+3,093 / −1,159 lines added / removed, 5y
63 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 216 total · active in 51/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 9 commits · +337 −73 2021-05: 2 commits · +2 −4 2021-06: 3 commits · +51 −21 2021-07: 5 commits · +58 −4 2021-08: 10 commits · +177 −49 2021-09: 2 commits · +7 −5 2021-10: 3 commits · +126 −4 2021-11: 2 commits · +18 −14 2021-12: 1 commit · +1 −1 2022-01: 2 commits · +6 −1 2022-02: 2 commits · +7 −5 2022-03: 7 commits · +82 −35 2022-04: 3 commits · +41 −10 2022-05: 1 commit · +28 −2 2022-06: 1 commit · +36 −1 2022-07: 4 commits · +74 −10 2022-08: 10 commits · +57 −21 2022-09: 3 commits · +6 −4 2022-10: 3 commits · +10 −10 2022-11: 1 commit · +2 −2 2022-12: 1 commit · +0 −1 2023-01: 2 commits · +9 −1 2023-02: 4 commits · +15 −10 2023-03: 5 commits · +81 −21 2023-04: 1 commit · +77 −0 2023-05: 31 commits · +368 −151 2023-06: 1 commit · +4 −0 2023-07: 5 commits · +14 −11 2023-08: 4 commits · +26 −1 2023-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-10: 2 commits · +2 −2 2023-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-12: 2 commits · +8 −4 2024-01: 3 commits · +27 −43 2024-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-03: 1 commit · +7 −1 2024-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-05: 1 commit · +1 −0 2024-06: 4 commits · +73 −26 2024-07: 3 commits · +4 −4 2024-08: 11 commits · +27 −30 2024-09: 2 commits · +7 −3 2024-10: 7 commits · +239 −148 2024-11: 1 commit · +1 −1 2024-12: 5 commits · +129 −61 2025-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-02: 7 commits · +132 −49 2025-03: 1 commit · +8 −8 2025-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-05: 3 commits · +67 −30 2025-06: 7 commits · +47 −38 2025-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-08: 13 commits · +436 −130 2025-09: 1 commit · +8 −1 2025-10: 3 commits · +2 −15 2025-11: 2 commits · +17 −3 2025-12: 1 commit · +3 −3 2026-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-02: 2 commits · +14 −14 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. git.kernel.org

    Kconfig identifies this as the "Qualcomm Venus V4L2 encoder/decoder driver".

  2. git.kernel.org

    The OF match table covers multiple Qualcomm SoCs including qcm2290, sc7180, sc7280, and sm8250, showing this is a real platform driver for Qualcomm video hardware.

  3. lore.kernel.org

    As of 2026-04-19, upstream still receives Venus maintenance patches (firmware declaration work).

  4. lore.kernel.org

    As of 2026-04-16, upstream discussion included adding msm8939 Venus resources, indicating ongoing enablement rather than retirement.

  5. qualcomm.com

    Qualcomm's 2024 QCM2290 brief lists expected product longevity through November 2030, target IoT/camera deployments, and hardware video encode/decode support; qcm2290 is one of the driver's supported compatibles.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

kernel.org tree URLs were added via canonical recall; lore evidence came from `lore_file_timeline` on `drivers/media/platform/qcom/venus/core.c`; Qualcomm product brief came from web search plus PDF open. The directory shows heavy recent upstream traffic, including 2026 maintenance and new-platform work, with no removal signal found in the activity timeline. Supported silicon such as QCM2290 remains in Qualcomm's longevity program through 2030 and targets current IoT/camera products, so this driver should be kept.