Rockchip RK3568 CAN-FD controller
The CAN-FD (Controller Area Network with Flexible Data-rate) bus controller built into Rockchip's RK3568 family of ARM SoCs, which are widely used in industrial mini-PCs, single-board computers, and embedded controllers shipping in 2024 and 2025. CAN-FD is the standard bus for connecting motor controllers, sensors, and other devices in automotive, factory automation, and robotics applications.
recommendation
It should stay because the driver was only merged in 2024, is actively maintained with bug fixes landing throughout 2025, and supports a current-generation Rockchip SoC that is still being designed into new industrial boards. There is no replacement on the horizon — newer Rockchip parts like the RK3576 extend this same driver family rather than supersede it.
repository signals
sources
- lists.infradead.org
Upstream bring-up landed in 2024 as a 20-patch series for the Rockchip RK3568 CAN-FD IP, indicating a new and actively integrated driver rather than legacy code.
- lkml.org
The driver received a targeted functional fix in February 2025, showing ongoing maintainer attention after merge.
- spinics.net
A net patch in May 2025 fixed the driver's remove path and was routed for stable, showing active upkeep rather than removal planning.
- lkml.iu.edu
Rockchip's later RK3576 CAN work was proposed as major differences from RK3568 and reuses/extents this driver family, so there is no natural replacement driver for RK3568 CAN-FD.
- embsom.com
RK3568-based industrial hardware with CAN was marketed in 2025 with long lifecycle messaging, evidence of ongoing new deployments.
- geniuscores.com
A commercially sold RK3568 industrial board advertises CAN interfaces, supporting continued deployment in embedded/industrial products.
- rockchips.net
A 2025-hosted RK3568 datasheet indicates the SoC remains actively documented and commercially present in the market.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local shell inspection (`rg`, `sed`) shows a real platform CAN-FD driver with OF matches for `rockchip,rk3568v2-canfd` and `rockchip,rk3568v3-canfd`; local `git log` shows initial merge in 2024 and multiple follow-up fixes through 2025. All URLs above were obtained via `web.search_query`. Lore/LKML-style evidence found active bring-up and bug-fix traffic, but no removal/deprecation thread. Deployment looks industrial/embedded rather than mass-market consumer, so current use is medium. Because the driver is only ~1.6 years old, still maintained, and tied to still-sold RK3568 hardware, the defensible recommendation is to keep it.