linux-drivers/
drivers/soc/fsl/qe

Freescale/NXP QUICC Engine SoC support

Core platform support for the QUICC Engine, a programmable communications coprocessor embedded in Freescale (now NXP) PowerPC and ARM QorIQ SoCs such as the P1025 and T1040. It handles low-level setup and shared services (interrupt controller, GPIO, QMC, TSA) used by serial and networking protocols common in industrial and telecom gear, including TDM, HDLC, UART, and ISDN.

keep conf=0.88 deploy=low replacement=none subsystem=soc category=platform-vendor
88%

recommendation

It should stay because the QUICC Engine block is still shipping in current NXP parts like the T1040 (listed Active in 2025 for legacy TDM, HDLC, UART, and ISDN workloads) and the code is actively maintained, with substantive fixes and new QE port-IC support landing as recently as 2024-2026. Most deployments are industrial and telecom equipment built around older QorIQ chips like the now-NRND P1025, so broad new adoption is unlikely, but the driver remains a working dependency for embedded users.

repository signals

16 files
7,322 source lines
94 commits, 5y
+4,701 / −967 lines added / removed, 5y
25 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 94 total · active in 23/61 months
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sources

  1. cateee.net

    CONFIG_QUICC_ENGINE is still present in current kernels and this directory still binds real QE/QMC/TSA/QE-IC/QE-GPIO platform and OF devices through 6.19 and 7.0.

  2. nxp.com

    NXP still listed T1040 as Active, and its product page explicitly says it includes QUICC Engine support for legacy protocols such as TDM, HDLC, UART and ISDN.

  3. nxp.com

    Older QE-based QorIQ P1025 is marked No Longer Manufactured / not recommended for new designs, indicating part of the QE install base is legacy even though some newer QE-capable parts remained on sale.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Real driver directory: contains module/builtin platform drivers and QE init code (checked via shell rg and Kconfig). Upstream activity is clearly alive: local shell `git -c safe.directory=... log -- drivers/soc/fsl/qe` showed substantive fixes/refactors in 2024-2026, including new qe_ports_ic support in 2026-01 and qmc fixes in 2026-02; no removal discussion was found from available tooling in this session. URLs were obtained by web search/open: LKDDb for in-tree presence and device coverage, NXP T1040 page for active 2025-era sell-through, and NXP P1025 page for legacy/NRND evidence. Conclusion: keep upstream, but expect mostly industrial/telecom legacy deployments rather than broad new adoption.