Axis ARTPEC-6 SoC clock controller
The on-chip clock controller block inside Axis Communications' ARTPEC-6 system-on-chip, a sixth-generation ARM SoC that Axis released in 2017 to power its network surveillance cameras. The driver tells Linux how to gate and configure the SoC's internal clock tree on those camera platforms.
recommendation
A reasonable candidate for future deprecation because the ARTPEC-6 is a 2017-vintage SoC that Axis has long since superseded with ARTPEC-7, 8, and now 9 in its current camera lineup, and the kernel code itself has seen nothing beyond a cosmetic cleanup since 2016. That said, immediate removal would be premature: ARTPEC-6 cameras are still deployed in the field, and there is no successor driver to migrate to since the clock controller is specific to that SoC. Marking it as legacy and revisiting once installed-base usage fades is the safer path.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Initial upstream posting identifies this as the ARTPEC-6 clock controller driver.
- lore.kernel.org
Most recent lore activity touching the file is a 2022 comment-cleanup patch, indicating very low recent upstream attention and no visible removal thread.
- newsroom.axis.com
Axis states ARTPEC-6 was its sixth-generation SoC released in 2017, and by late 2024 the company had reached ARTPEC-9.
- axis.com
Axis's current SoC marketing focuses on ARTPEC-8 and ARTPEC-7, with no ARTPEC-6 positioning as a current platform.
- axis.com
A current Axis product page shows new devices shipping on ARTPEC-9, supporting the view that new deployments have moved to later generations.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Real driver, not an early-exit case: local file inspection via exec_command showed a DT/platform clock driver for compatible "axis,artpec6-clkctrl". Lore history came from lore_file_timeline on drivers/clk/axis/clk-artpec6.c: it shows introduction in 2016 and only a minor cleanup in 2022, with no evidence of active bug-fix traffic or removal discussion in the returned timeline. Deployment evidence came from web search results on Axis's own pages: ARTPEC-6 is an older 2017 SoC generation, while current products and marketing center on ARTPEC-8/9. That points to legacy installed-base use rather than new 2025 sales. No natural replacement driver exists because this clock controller is SoC-specific; deprecation is more defensible than removal because deployed surveillance/embedded systems likely still exist.