linux-drivers/
drivers/platform/chrome/wilco_ec

ChromeOS Wilco Embedded Controller

The embedded controller used in the Wilco generation of enterprise Chromebooks, primarily Dell's Latitude 5300/5400 Chromebook Enterprise line introduced around 2019-2020. The EC handles low-level platform tasks like telemetry, event logging, and firmware update plumbing over an eSPI link, and the kernel code exposes those features to ChromeOS user space.

keep conf=0.72 last_sold=2020 deploy=low replacement=none subsystem=platform category=platform-vendor
72%

recommendation

It should stay because the hardware is still sold new in 2025 as a niche enterprise Chromebook and the code is clearly still maintained, with patches touching the directory in both 2024 and 2025 as part of routine subsystem upkeep. There is no generic replacement for Wilco-specific EC features, so dropping it would strand existing fleets without benefit.

repository signals

10 files
2,321 source lines
26 commits, 5y
+68 / −62 lines added / removed, 5y
17 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 26 total · active in 15/61 months
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sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    The driver still received upstream maintenance in 2025; this patch touched wilco_ec/telemetry.c on 2025-08-13.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    The driver saw functional maintenance in 2024, including core matching changes, indicating active subsystem ownership rather than abandonment.

  3. lore.kernel.org

    wilco_ec was included in a 2024 API-conversion series, showing routine upkeep instead of removal work.

  4. dell.com

    A Wilco-era enterprise Chromebook-class system remained listed for new sale in 2026, supporting the conclusion that covered hardware was still sold new in 2025, albeit as a niche product.

  5. git.kernel.org

    Kconfig identifies the hardware family as the 'ChromeOS Wilco Embedded Controller' and describes it as an eSPI-connected EC driver.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Real driver directory: Kconfig/core.c show module-backed ACPI/platform driver code. Lore evidence was obtained via lore_file_timeline on core.c and lore_activity on telemetry.c; both show 2024-2025 touches and no visible removal discussion, so removal/deprecation is not supported. Dell sale-page evidence was obtained by web search and suggests the hardware family still appears in niche new enterprise-Chromebook listings. The kernel.org Kconfig URL is canonical recall for family identification. Recommendation is keep: niche deployments today, but still-maintained and with no natural replacement for Wilco-specific EC functionality.