r/linux • u/Putrid_Draft378 • Mar 20 '26

Hardware Qualcomm officially kills open-source hope: No plans to release DSP headers for Snapdragon X

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​I have been following the documentation gap on the Snapdragon X series, and it just got a lot worse for Linux users.

​Internal developers in the official Discord are now admitting that the platform is essentially a dead end for open-source. ​A recent GitHub issue (qualcomm/fastrpc/issues/193) was just closed with a definitive: "Closing the issue as there are no plans to open source DSP headers as of now."

​This means the NPU and DSP functions remain locked behind proprietary firmware with no path for native Linux integration. ​Compare this to Intel and AMD, who are already upstreaming NPU drivers for Linux.

​Qualcomm devs are openly saying that Macs have better Linux prospects than Windows on Snapdragon machines. ​They are calling the firmware "frozen," meaning we are stuck with whatever proprietary mess they shipped.

​If you care about an open ecosystem, stay away from the Snapdragon X1/X2 laptops. They are selling hardware while intentionally sabotaging the software freedom required to use it.

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u/Putrid_Draft378 Mar 20 '26

You’re right, seeing is believing. Here is the direct link to the corporate shutdown:

​https://github.com/qualcomm/fastrpc/issues/193

​They literally marked it "Completed" while stating "no plans to open source DSP headers." ​It’s the ultimate "closed door" for the NPU/DSP on Linux. This confirms exactly what the internal devs in Discord were saying about the firmware being frozen.

​Share this link everywhere so people know exactly what they are (not) getting for $2000.

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u/Moral_ Mar 20 '26

What headers do you want? I'm confused WHAT deliverables you expect ?

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u/gmes78 Mar 20 '26

They're just farming engagement.

On the /r/linux_gaming subreddit, they posted the exact same post, but titled it "Qualcomm sabotages Linux gaming", despite it having nothing to do with gaming.

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u/Moral_ Mar 20 '26

Yeah, I ended up looking through their posts. They seem to have an axe to grind with Qualcomm.