linux-drivers/
drivers/net/ethernet/ti

Texas Instruments Ethernet MACs and Switches (DaVinci EMAC, CPSW, ICSS PRUETH, Keystone NETCP)

Ethernet MAC and switch controllers built into Texas Instruments SoCs, from older DaVinci EMAC and Keystone NETCP parts to the modern CPSW and ICSS-G PRU Ethernet blocks in current K3-generation AM64x/AM65x industrial processors. They handle wired networking, including TSN and switch features, on TI chips widely used in industrial automation and embedded gateways.

keep conf=0.92 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=net category=networking-ethernet
92%

recommendation

It should stay because TI is still actively shipping the underlying silicon (parts like the AM6442 and AM6528 are listed as active products in 2025), and kernel commits, netdev patches, and upstream documentation for am65-cpsw-nuss, ICSSG PRUETH, and related sub-drivers continue through 2025–2026. Only one small helper config inside the directory is marked deprecated; the rest is mainstream, documented, and under ongoing maintenance.

repository signals

68 files
50,557 source lines
421 commits, 5y
+24,484 / −6,870 lines added / removed, 5y
113 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 421 total · active in 57/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-05: 2 commits · +3 −3 2021-06: 8 commits · +27 −40 2021-07: 7 commits · +63 −36 2021-08: 15 commits · +77 −43 2021-09: 3 commits · +11 −30 2021-10: 11 commits · +26 −26 2021-11: 6 commits · +55 −24 2021-12: 4 commits · +64 −44 2022-01: 2 commits · +8 −8 2022-02: 3 commits · +1 −9 2022-03: 5 commits · +155 −171 2022-04: 15 commits · +543 −123 2022-05: 4 commits · +17 −20 2022-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-07: 1 commit · +10 −7 2022-08: 5 commits · +286 −33 2022-09: 7 commits · +16 −25 2022-10: 2 commits · +10 −7 2022-11: 15 commits · +298 −90 2022-12: 8 commits · +258 −242 2023-01: 8 commits · +274 −37 2023-02: 4 commits · +43 −1 2023-03: 13 commits · +204 −39 2023-04: 6 commits · +46 −11 2023-05: 1 commit · +8 −3 2023-06: 1 commit · +1 −1 2023-07: 3 commits · +26 −14 2023-08: 17 commits · +5,991 −326 2023-09: 9 commits · +56 −1,284 2023-10: 8 commits · +66 −38 2023-11: 10 commits · +180 −105 2023-12: 9 commits · +1,059 −203 2024-01: 3 commits · +12 −10 2024-02: 6 commits · +19 −10 2024-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-04: 24 commits · +3,659 −1,396 2024-05: 7 commits · +1,131 −26 2024-06: 5 commits · +161 −24 2024-07: 5 commits · +140 −86 2024-08: 8 commits · +195 −118 2024-09: 18 commits · +927 −383 2024-10: 9 commits · +59 −121 2024-11: 6 commits · +226 −61 2024-12: 4 commits · +249 −137 2025-01: 12 commits · +401 −262 2025-02: 13 commits · +118 −204 2025-03: 9 commits · +655 −152 2025-04: 9 commits · +189 −117 2025-05: 7 commits · +87 −60 2025-06: 5 commits · +153 −65 2025-07: 5 commits · +212 −84 2025-08: 5 commits · +58 −40 2025-09: 7 commits · +2,523 −43 2025-10: 6 commits · +96 −99 2025-11: 14 commits · +902 −208 2025-12: 1 commit · +2 −1 2026-01: 6 commits · +2,307 −50 2026-02: 11 commits · +103 −59 2026-03: 4 commits · +18 −11 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. lists.openwall.net

    Public netdev posting in 2025 for am65-cpsw-nuss shows active upstream maintenance in this directory, and links to the corresponding lore thread.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    Lore thread URL referenced from the 2025 netdev posting for a TI am65-cpsw-nuss fix, evidencing current review traffic rather than removal.

  3. ti.com

    TI lists AM6442 as ACTIVE and documents Linux-capable industrial networking features including PRU_ICSSG and Ethernet/TSN support.

  4. ti.com

    TI lists AM6528 as ACTIVE and documents Gigabit PRU-ICSS and Ethernet/industrial networking features, showing relevant K3-era hardware remains sold.

  5. kernel.org

    Upstream kernel documentation still covers the TI ICSSG PRUETH driver, indicating supported in-tree deployment and feature surface.

  6. docs.kernel.org

    Upstream kernel documentation still covers AM65 CPSW NUSS switchdev operation, indicating current supported functionality rather than retirement.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Real driver directory confirmed by Kconfig/Makefile and module targets across multiple TI Ethernet families. Local shell inspection of Kconfig/Makefile showed active supported configs, with only TI_CPSW_PHY_SEL itself marked DEPRECATED, not the directory. Local shell `git log` showed fixes and feature work through 2026-03-27 across icssg-prueth, am65-cpsw-nuss, cpsw_new, netcp and icssm-prueth, so this is not dormant. I used web search/open on lists.openwall.net to obtain a 2025 netdev patch posting and extracted the lore URL from that page; separate lore-oriented web searches returned no evident removal/deprecation series for the directory, so there is no sign of active upstream retirement. I used web search/open on TI product pages for AM6442 and AM6528 to confirm relevant K3 hardware is still ACTIVE and sold, and web search/open on kernel.org/docs.kernel.org driver docs to confirm current upstream documentation. Because the directory mixes live K3 industrial Ethernet IP with older legacy subdrivers, the right outcome is keep rather than deprecate/remove.