Broadcom BCM27xx, BCM63xx, iProc/NSP, and STB pin controllers
On-chip pin multiplexing and GPIO controllers in Broadcom SoC families: the BCM27xx parts at the heart of every Raspberry Pi (BCM2711 on Pi 4/CM4, BCM2712 on Pi 5/CM5), BCM63xx DSL/router chips, iProc and Northstar Plus networking SoCs, and BCM7xxx set-top-box chips. Without it, peripherals like I2C, SPI, UARTs, and GPIO headers cannot be wired up.
recommendation
It should stay in the kernel because this code drives the GPIO and pin-multiplexing hardware on chips still shipping in 2025, including the BCM2712 used by the Raspberry Pi 5 and Compute Module 5 (which Raspberry Pi has committed to producing through at least January 2036). Upstream activity in April 2025, including a stable backport, confirms the code is actively maintained rather than legacy.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Recent upstream maintenance in 2025 for this directory includes bcm2835 GPIO callback API updates, indicating active support rather than abandonment.
- lore.kernel.org
A bcm2835 fix was backported to stable in April 2025, showing the code still matters to supported deployed systems.
- raspberrypi.com
Compute Module 5 was on sale in 2025 and uses Broadcom BCM2712; the page also states production through at least January 2036.
- raspberrypi.com
Raspberry Pi documentation maps current Compute Module 5 to BCM2712 and Compute Module 4/4S to BCM2711, both covered by this driver directory.
- raspberrypi.com
Raspberry Pi 5 was sold in 2025 and uses Broadcom BCM2712, one of the active SoC families served by this directory.
- git.kernel.org
The directory contains live support for BCM2835/BCM2711/BCM7211-class GPIO/pinctrl hardware.
- git.kernel.org
The directory also contains BCM2712 support, tying it to current Raspberry Pi 5 / CM5-era hardware rather than only legacy Broadcom parts.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Lore evidence came from `lore_file_timeline` on `drivers/pinctrl/bcm/pinctrl-bcm2835.c`; it showed 2025 upstream and stable activity, with patches that are API adaptation and bug-fix work, not removal. Web evidence came from `web.search_query` results on official Raspberry Pi product/documentation pages showing BCM2711/BCM2712 systems sold in 2025 and CM5 longevity. Kernel.org file URLs are canonical recall used to anchor the covered SoC families. Because this directory serves current Raspberry Pi products plus older Broadcom embedded/router/STB SoCs, there is no natural replacement driver and the correct disposition is to keep it.