linux-drivers/
drivers/pmdomain/bcm

Broadcom BCM2835/BCM2712 and BCM63xx SoC power-domain controllers

Power-domain controllers built into Broadcom system-on-chip parts: the BCM2835/BCM2711/BCM2712 family that powers every Raspberry Pi from the original through the Pi 5 and Compute Module 5, plus the BCM63xx PMB blocks used in DSL and cable home gateways. These let the kernel switch power and clocks on and off for individual SoC blocks such as USB, video, and image-signal processors.

keep conf=0.89 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=pmdomain category=power-management
89%

recommendation

It should stay because the code targets hardware that is still being sold and shipped in volume — most visibly the Raspberry Pi 5 and Compute Module 5, which use the BCM2712. Upstream activity is healthy, with bug fixes flowing into stable in early 2026 and ongoing enablement work for newer Pi silicon, and there is no alternative driver that could take over these SoC-specific power domains. The BCM63xx side is more legacy-leaning per OpenWrt, but it rides along in the same directory without issue.

repository signals

6 files
1,701 source lines
11 commits, 5y
+1,794 / −46 lines added / removed, 5y
4 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 11 total · active in 8/61 months
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sources

  1. spinics.net

    March 2026 patch traffic shows bcm2835-power still receives upstream bug-fix attention; not removal-oriented.

  2. spinics.net

    April 2026 stable review for bcm2835-power confirms continued maintenance and backport interest.

  3. spinics.net

    Late-2025 review thread for BCM2712 support shows ongoing enablement for newer Raspberry Pi silicon in this driver area.

  4. raspberrypi.com

    Raspberry Pi documentation states BCM2712 is used in Raspberry Pi 5, 500, 500+, and Compute Module 5.

  5. raspberrypi.com

    Raspberry Pi 5 with BCM2712 remained a current retail product page, supporting 'still sold new in 2025'.

  6. openwrt.org

    BCM63xx deployments remain mostly legacy/embedded; OpenWrt documents the family but notes support attrition, indicating low ongoing new deployments there.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Local shell inspection (`rg`, `sed`) showed real genpd driver code for BCM2835/Raspberry Pi firmware and BCM63xx PMB. Local `git -c safe.directory=... log -- drivers/pmdomain/bcm` showed substantive commits through 2026-03-18, matching the provided metadata. Mailing-list evidence was obtained via web search because lore MCP was unavailable here and `lei` was not installed: spinics stable threads in March/April 2026 show active fixes/backports, and a 2025 kernel-list review covers BCM2712 support rather than removal. Raspberry Pi product/docs pages found by web search show BCM2712 in currently sold products, so the directory still targets live hardware. No natural replacement driver exists for these SoC-specific PM domains.