NVMEM non-volatile memory framework (EEPROM, eFuse, and OTP providers)
A generic kernel framework that lets drivers and userspace read and write small non-volatile memories such as I2C/SPI EEPROMs, SoC eFuses, one-time-programmable regions, and on-flash U-Boot environment blocks. It is used everywhere from embedded boards reading MAC addresses and calibration data out of factory fuses to modern Apple Silicon Macs and late-model NXP and Rockchip SoCs.
recommendation
It should stay because NVMEM is the kernel's active, consolidated framework for exposing small non-volatile storage like EEPROMs, eFuses, OTP regions, and U-Boot environment blocks to both kernel drivers and userspace. Far from being legacy, it is still gaining new providers for current hardware, including recent Apple Silicon, i.MX95, and RK3588 SoCs, with patches landing as recently as April 2026.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
A patch touching nvmem core was posted on 2026-04-21, indicating current upstream maintenance rather than removal.
- docs.kernel.org
The kernel documents NVMEM as the active framework for EEPROM/eFuse/non-volatile device data, with provider and consumer APIs and a userspace ABI.
- cateee.net
CONFIG_NVMEM remains present through Linux 6.19/7.0 and the directory supports a wide spread of current SoC/device bindings, including newer entries such as Apple efuses, U-Boot env layouts, i.MX95, RK3588, and AN8855.
- cateee.net
A dedicated Apple SPMI NVMEM driver exists for Apple Silicon Macs in recent kernels, showing the subsystem is still being extended for new hardware.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Keep. This is an active subsystem, not an obsolete single-device driver family. Static input already shows 229 substantive commits in 5 years, 89 authors, and most recent touch on 2026-04-02. `lore_activity` on drivers/nvmem/core.c returned a 2026-04-21 patch URL, showing live maintenance. `web.search_query` + `open` on docs.kernel.org confirmed NVMEM is the current generic framework used by kernel and userspace. `web.search_query` + `open` on LKDDb showed broad ongoing enablement across modern SoCs/devices, including recent Apple Silicon and late-model NXP/Rockchip parts. No natural replacement exists; this directory is itself the replacement/consolidation framework for NVMEM providers. Removal/deprecation evidence was not found in the gathered lore evidence.