Atmel/Microchip SAMA5D2 and SAMA7G5 Image Sensor Controller (ISC/XISC) — legacy driver
The legacy capture driver for the Image Sensor Controller blocks built into Microchip's (formerly Atmel) SAMA5D2 and SAMA7G5 ARM microprocessors, used to pull video frames from CMOS camera sensors on embedded and industrial boards. It was moved into the staging "deprecated" area in 2022 once a redesigned replacement landed in the main media subsystem.
recommendation
Already on the path to removal. The Kconfig in this directory openly flags both drivers as deprecated and gives a target removal window of early 2026, while the TODO file points users at the replacement Microchip ISC and XISC drivers under drivers/media/platform/microchip. The hardware itself is not gone — Microchip still sells the SAMA5D2 and SAMA7G5 SoC families in 2025 — but anyone using them for camera capture is expected to switch to the modern in-tree driver before this staging copy is deleted.
repository signals
sources
- git.kernel.org
Kconfig marks both ATMEL_ISC and ATMEL_XISC as DEPRECATED and says they were scheduled for removal by the beginning of 2026.
- git.kernel.org
TODO explains the old Atmel ISC/XISC driver was moved to staging to preserve legacy users and names VIDEO_MICROCHIP_ISC / VIDEO_MICROCHIP_XISC as the replacement drivers.
- spinics.net
The 2022 redesign/move-to-staging patch series states the old driver was kept in staging for existing users while the media-subsystem Microchip driver serves new users.
- microchip.com
Microchip still marketed and offered SAMA5D2 series parts and kits in 2025-era product pages, indicating the underlying SoC family remained commercially available.
- developerhelp.microchip.com
Microchip's SAMA7G5 series page shows the newer XISC-capable SoC family remained an active product line with imaging support.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local shell inspection of the directory confirmed real platform drivers for DT compatibles atmel,sama5d2-isc and microchip,sama7g5-isc, plus local git log showed the tree was moved to staging in 2022 and only received small compatibility updates through 2024-10 rather than feature work. Kconfig and TODO were read locally, with kernel.org tree URLs cited via canonical recall. Mailing-list history URL was obtained by web search and shows the intentional staging move plus replacement path. Microchip product URLs were obtained by web search and show the SoC families are still sold, so hardware exists, but this specific driver is legacy-only and superseded; with the stated removal date already passed, removal is the defensible recommendation.