drivers/nfc/st-nci · keep

STMicroelectronics ST21NFC Near-Field Communication controllers

A family of NFC controller chips from STMicroelectronics (the ST21NFCB and ST21NFCD parts) that connect to a host over I2C or SPI to handle contactless payments, tag reading, and peer-to-peer NFC. They are typically found in embedded and mobile devices rather than desktop PCs.

keep conf=0.82 last_sold=2025 deploy=low replacement=none subsystem=nfc category=networking-other

82%

recommendation

It should stay because the hardware is still actively sold by STMicroelectronics in 2025, with both ST21NFCB and ST21NFCD listed as in volume production, and the driver continues to receive upstream maintenance as recently as 2024. Real-world deployments lean toward embedded and mobile rather than mainstream PCs, but there is no replacement driver for this chipset family in the kernel.

repository signals

10 files

2,490 source lines

24 commits, 5y

+99 / −115 lines added / removed, 5y

11 authors, 5y

monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 24 total · active in 14/61 months

sources

lore.kernel.org
The driver still received upstream maintenance in 2024, indicating it is not abandoned.
lore.kernel.org
The driver saw additional upstream API-adaptation work in 2023.
st.com
ST lists ST21NFCB as an active product in volume production, showing the family is still sold new.
st.com
ST lists ST21NFCD as an active product in volume production, reinforcing that newer ST21NFC family parts remain current.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Local source inspection via shell (`rg`, `sed`) showed this is a real I2C/SPI NFC chipset driver for STMicroelectronics ST21NFC parts. Lore evidence came from `lore_activity` on `drivers/nfc/st-nci/i2c.c` and `lore_file_timeline` on `drivers/nfc/st-nci/core.c`; both showed maintenance traffic and no removal signal. Vendor availability evidence came from `web.search_query`, which returned ST product pages marking ST21NFCB and ST21NFCD active/in-volume-production. No natural in-tree replacement exists for the same hardware family; current use is likely embedded/mobile rather than broad PC deployment, so deployments are low rather than none.