Hisilicon | Kirin 980 Driver

The HiSilicon Kirin 980 does not have a single "driver" that users typically download like a printer or graphics card. Because it is a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) used in Android devices, its drivers are integrated directly into the Android firmware (Kernel) provided by the device manufacturer (Huawei or Honor). Driver Availability & Management

Real-time Image Recognition: Capable of recognizing up to 4,500 images per minute. hisilicon kirin 980 driver

Current status (as of 2025)

• Boot support – limited, some platforms (Hi3670 / Kirin 980) have basic device trees.
• UART – works early for debugging.
• CPU – works via ARM64 generic support.
• GIC, timers, PMU – OK.
• GPU – ARM Mali G76 needs panfrost driver (works on mainline).
• Display – Hisilicon display controller (DPT) not yet mainlined.
• Storage (UFS) – working in some trees.
• USB – works with DWC3.
• I2C/GPIO/MMC – mostly OK.
• NPU – no mainline driver.

Part 1: What Exactly is a "Kirin 980 Driver"?

In computing, a driver is a software component that allows the operating system (OS) to communicate with hardware. For the Kirin 980, the "driver" is not a single file but a suite of low-level software layers. The HiSilicon Kirin 980 does not have a

• Driver: The driver manages the DSP firmware loading and audio routing.
• Constraint: Unlike Qualcomm SoCs which often have open-source ALSA-compatible drivers for audio, Kirin 980 audio drivers are heavily proprietary, tied to Huawei’s specific audio HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer).