AMD Secure Processor Trusted Execution Environment (AMD-TEE)
A kernel interface to the trusted execution environment hosted on AMD's Platform Security Processor (also called the AMD Secure Processor), the dedicated security coprocessor embedded in modern AMD client and server CPUs. It lets userspace load and call trusted applications running in the secure world on Ryzen PRO laptops, desktops, and EPYC servers.
recommendation
It should stay in the kernel because the AMD Secure Processor is built into current Ryzen PRO and EPYC CPUs that are still being sold in 2025, and the code itself is actively maintained, with AMD engineers posting targeted fixes as recently as March 2026. Real-world use of the TEE path is niche, but the hardware substrate is mainstream and the driver is the only Linux gateway to it.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Upstream activity is current: amdtee received a targeted functional patch in March 2026, so there is no sign of abandonment or removal.
- amd.com
AMD states current AMD PRO platforms include an 'AMD Secure Processor', indicating the underlying security processor family is still present in newly sold CPUs.
- amd.com
AMD's EPYC server line was actively marketed as current in 2024-2025 with built-in security features, supporting that PSP-backed platforms remain in new deployments.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local inspection via exec_command showed this is a real TEE driver wired to PSP interfaces (`psp-tee.h`, `psp_check_tee_status()`) and Kconfig names it 'AMD-TEE'. lore_file_timeline on `drivers/tee/amdtee/core.c` returned activity through 2026-03-27, including a non-treewide amdtee patch at the cited lore URL; histogram shows recurring touches across 2024-2026, so removal/deprecation is not supported. A lore_regex removal-search timed out and a fallback `lei q` attempt was blocked by local daemon permissions, so removal-talk confidence is inferred from the positive activity signal rather than a dedicated thread hit. Web search returned AMD PRO Technologies and EPYC product pages showing the AMD Secure Processor on current product lines, so the hardware class is still sold new in 2025. Deployment is rated low rather than medium/high because this is a niche secure-world/TEE path even though the CPU family itself is current.