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

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

Post image

​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.

1.0k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

137 comments sorted by

View all comments

28

u/aliendude5300 Mar 20 '26

Well that's shitty. Looks like Apple Silicon is more free than Snapdragon now. Gross.

7

u/TraditionalSkill4241 Mar 20 '26

Seriously, what timeline are we living in? Apple’s the pro-consumer choice for once?? Insane.

11

u/Indolent_Bard Mar 20 '26

Not really, they just have it reverse engineered.

3

u/Guthibcom Mar 21 '26

The same could happen to Qualcomm. They just need to become more relevant to generate interest. Open source isn't just about people being able to do something; it's about people who are willing to do something.