ASIX AX88796C SPI Fast Ethernet controller
A small SPI-attached 10/100 Mbps Ethernet controller from ASIX aimed at embedded and industrial designs, where a microcontroller or low-pin-count SoC needs to add wired networking over an SPI bus rather than a full MAC/PHY interface. The AX88796C remains a current ASIX product line in 2025.
recommendation
It should stay in the kernel because ASIX still markets the AX88796C as a current embedded/industrial part in 2025, the driver received upstream fixes as recently as December 2023, and the config option remains enabled across current kernel series. Volume is low and the use case is niche, but the hardware is neither abandoned by its vendor nor by kernel maintainers.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
The driver still received upstream maintenance in December 2023, indicating it is not abandoned upstream.
- asix.com.tw
ASIX still lists AX88796C as a current product and publishes documentation/software assets on the product page, supporting that the hardware remained commercially offered in 2025.
- cateee.net
LKDDb shows CONFIG_SPI_AX88796C present across current kernel series and identifies this directory's module/device bindings.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local file inspection via shell showed this directory is the in-tree ax88796c SPI Ethernet driver, not helper code. Upstream activity was checked from local git history (shell, using git log with safe.directory); recent fixes include the cited lore patch from 2023, and I saw no removal/deprecation-oriented series in that history. Deployment evidence came from web search: the official ASIX product page (web.search/open result) still presents AX88796C as an active embedded/industrial Ethernet controller, which suggests ongoing but niche embedded use rather than broad new deployments. LKDDb URL was obtained by web search and confirms the driver remains enabled in current kernels. Overall this looks like a low-volume embedded/industrial driver that should be kept, not deprecated.