drivers/mtd/nand/raw/brcmnand · keep

Broadcom BRCMNAND raw NAND flash controllers

Broadcom's on-chip raw NAND flash controller, integrated into many of its embedded SoC families: set-top-box BCM7xxx, cable-modem BCM3xxx, DSL/router BCM63xx and BCMBCA, BCM4908 Wi-Fi router SoCs, and the iProc/Cygnus line. It reads and writes the NAND that holds firmware and storage on devices like ASUS GT-AC5300 routers and set-top boxes, from the 2010s through products still sold in 2025.

keep conf=0.78 last_sold=2025 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=mtd category=storage-flash

78%

recommendation

It should stay in the kernel because Broadcom's NAND controller IP is still shipping in current embedded silicon, including BCM4908-based home routers that OpenWrt is still building images for in late 2025. Active upstream work continued in 2024 with patches adding BCMBCA SoC support, and since this is vendor-specific controller hardware, no other driver could replace it.

repository signals

9 files

4,257 source lines

45 commits, 5y

+1,141 / −547 lines added / removed, 5y

16 authors, 5y

monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 45 total · active in 17/61 months

sources

lore-kernel.gnuweeb.org
A 2024 patch series updates brcmnand and its bindings, explicitly adding BCMBCA SoC support and driver fixes, which indicates active upstream maintenance rather than retirement.
downloads.openwrt.org
OpenWrt published bcm4908 target images in October 2025, showing current downstream deployment/support for Broadcom BCM4908 devices using this NAND-controller family.
openwrt.org
The ASUS GT-AC5300 is a BCM4908 device with 256MB NAND and OpenWrt support through release 24.10.4, demonstrating present-day use of hardware covered by this driver family.
git.kernel.org
Upstream Kconfig describes the driver as covering Broadcom STB platforms plus BCM7xxx, BCM3xxx, BCM63xxx, iProc/Cygnus and related glue layers, so it spans multiple still-relevant Broadcom embedded families.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Local shell inspection (`rg`, `sed`) showed real platform_driver entry points and Broadcom-specific glue drivers for STB, BCMBCA, BCM63xx, BCMA, and iProc. Web search found a 2024 lore patch series with feature work/docs updates and no obvious removal-thread hits, so upstream attention is active. Web search also found current OpenWrt bcm4908 release artifacts (2025/2026) and a supported BCM4908 NAND router, indicating ongoing field deployment. The kernel.org Kconfig URL is canonical recall corresponding to the locally inspected file. No natural replacement exists because this is vendor-specific controller IP, so the correct disposition is keep.