--- title: Linux kernel set to remove 55,000 lines of old 32-bit... description: Kernel developer Arnd Bergmann has submitted 13 patches removing over 55,000 lines of code and Device Tree files for deprecated 32-bit Arm platforms, including... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/linux-kernel-set-to-remove-55-000-lines-of-old-32-bit-arm-platform-code-omsy2dnk1 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Linux kernel set to remove 55,000 lines of old 32-bit Arm platform code | daily.dev og:description: Kernel developer Arnd Bergmann has submitted 13 patches removing over 55,000 lines of code and Device Tree files for deprecated 32-bit Arm platforms, including... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/linux-kernel-set-to-remove-55-000-lines-of-old-32-bit-arm-platform-code-omsy2dnk1 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/omsY2DNK1.png og:image:alt: Linux kernel set to remove 55,000 lines of old 32-bit Arm platform code og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Linux kernel set to remove 55,000 lines of old 32-bit Arm platform code **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 2 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Kernel developer Arnd Bergmann has submitted 13 patches removing over 55,000 lines of code and Device Tree files for deprecated 32-bit Arm platforms, including SA1100, Acorn RiscPC, PXA, Orion, OMAP24xx, and several others. The removal is part of a stalled ~300-patch cleanup effort targeting Linux 7.5 instead of 7.4, giving remaining users a window to argue for keeping specific platforms before CPU support drops the following release. Existing installations will keep working, but mainline kernels from 7.4/7.5 onward won't support these platforms, and removing platform code also orphans hundreds of drivers for further cleanup. Separately, Linux 7.3 adds support for newer Arm chips including Apple's M3 Pro/Max/Ultra, Samsung Exynos 1580, and Qualcomm Shikra. ## Content Linux kernel maintainer Arnd Bergmann has submitted 13 patches targeting deprecated 32-bit ARM platform code for removal, kicking off a cleanup effort that stalled for nearly two years. The platforms on the chopping block include SA1100, Acorn RiscPC, Footbridge, PXA, Orion, Dove, MV78xx0, OMAP24xx, i.MX31, LPC18xx, Axxia, STM32F4/F7/H7, Versatile MPS2, and AT91 SAMV7. The initial 13 patches remove around 55,000 lines of platform code and Device Tree files. That's just the first wave. A separate Git branch (`board-remove-7.3`) goes further, deleting drivers for those same deprecated platforms — roughly 247,000 additional lines removed against about 5,000 added. Combined, the full cleanup is part of a ~300-patch effort that should trim the kernel source considerably, even as the overall tree sits close to 41 million lines. The removal is currently targeted at Linux 7.5 rather than 7.4. Bergmann chose the later window deliberately: it keeps dependencies cleaner, lands after this year's LTS release, and gives anyone still running these platforms a chance to make a case for keeping specific targets. CPU support for the affected chips is expected to drop a release after the platform code goes. Devices running these platforms won't be able to use mainline kernels from 7.4 or 7.5 onward. Existing installations keep working fine — nothing breaks retroactively — but there's no path forward on mainline. Removing the platform code also orphans hundreds of associated drivers, which can then be cleaned up separately for further savings. This fits a pattern Linus Torvalds has been comfortable with for a while. i386 support was dropped back in 2012, and discussions around removing i486 started in 2022. Old architecture code accumulates maintenance burden without much benefit once the hardware is effectively gone from active use. On the other side of the ledger, Linux 7.3 adds support for newer ARM chips including Apple's M3 Pro, Max, and Ultra, Samsung's Exynos 1580, and Qualcomm's Shikra — so the kernel isn't shrinking its ARM footprint overall, just shedding the parts that haven't mattered for years. ## Questions this post answers ### Which 32-bit Arm platforms is the Linux kernel removing support for? Arnd Bergmann submitted 13 patches deleting over 55,000 lines of code and Device Tree files for platforms including SA1100, Acorn RiscPC, Footbridge, PXA, Orion, Dove, MV78xx0, OMAP24xx, i.MX31, LPC18xx, Axxia, STM32F4/F7/H7, Versatile MPS2, and AT91 SAMV7. The removal targets Linux 7.5, with CPU support dropping the release after. _Teams maintaining legacy embedded Arm hardware can track kernel deprecation timelines like this on daily.dev._ ### Will devices running deprecated 32-bit Arm platforms still work after the Linux kernel removes their code? Existing installations will keep working fine even after the code is removed from mainline. However, devices on these deprecated platforms won't be able to run mainline kernels from version 7.4 or 7.5 onward, since Arnd Bergmann's patches target Linux 7.5 for removal and CPU support drops the release after that. _Anyone planning long-term support for embedded Arm hardware can follow kernel deprecation news like this on daily.dev._ ### What new Arm chip support is being added in Linux 7.3? Linux 7.3 adds support for newer Arm chips including Apple's M3 Pro, M3 Max, M3 Ultra, Samsung Exynos 1580, and Qualcomm Shikra. This comes alongside a separate effort to remove code for older, deprecated 32-bit Arm platforms in later kernel releases. _Developers tracking Arm chip support across kernel releases can follow updates like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Linux 7.3 Deprecates Many Older 32-bit ARM Platforms, Orphans Hundreds Of Drivers](https://daily.dev/posts/linux-7-3-deprecates-many-older-32-bit-arm-platforms-orphans-hundreds-of-drivers-zdj3lo0he) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Linux Looking To Retire A Number Of Old ARM Platforms In Early 2027](https://daily.dev/posts/linux-looking-to-retire-a-number-of-old-arm-platforms-in-early-2027-vwnse5pze) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Linux 7.1 Adds Support For 12 New SoCs, Other ARM & RISC-V Hardware](https://daily.dev/posts/linux-7-1-adds-support-for-12-new-socs-other-arm-risc-v-hardware-ypxhmafcz) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#arm](https://daily.dev/tags/arm), [#embedded](https://daily.dev/tags/embedded), [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/linux-kernel-set-to-remove-55-000-lines-of-old-32-bit-arm-platform-code-omsy2dnk1) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Linux kernel set to remove 55,000 lines of old 32-bit Arm platform code","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/linux-kernel-set-to-remove-55-000-lines-of-old-32-bit-arm-platform-code-omsy2dnk1","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/linux-kernel-set-to-remove-55-000-lines-of-old-32-bit-arm-platform-code-omsy2dnk1"},"datePublished":"2026-09-10T19:57:08.034Z","dateModified":"2026-10-15T02:22:42.502Z","description":"Kernel developer Arnd Bergmann has submitted 13 patches removing over 55,000 lines of code and Device Tree files for deprecated 32-bit Arm platforms, including...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/1f5cdae4644ec88a7afde732ab2ab430?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/1f5cdae4644ec88a7afde732ab2ab430?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Collections","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Collections","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--fk_6ycEi--/f_auto,q_auto/v1780996001/logos/collections?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/linux-kernel-set-to-remove-55-000-lines-of-old-32-bit-arm-platform-code-omsy2dnk1","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"arm,embedded,linux,open-source","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Collections","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Linux kernel set to remove 55,000 lines of old 32-bit Arm platform code"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/linux-kernel-set-to-remove-55-000-lines-of-old-32-bit-arm-platform-code-omsy2dnk1#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Which 32-bit Arm platforms is the Linux kernel removing support for?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Arnd Bergmann submitted 13 patches deleting over 55,000 lines of code and Device Tree files for platforms including SA1100, Acorn RiscPC, Footbridge, PXA, Orion, Dove, MV78xx0, OMAP24xx, i.MX31, LPC18xx, Axxia, STM32F4/F7/H7, Versatile MPS2, and AT91 SAMV7. The removal targets Linux 7.5, with CPU support dropping the release after. Teams maintaining legacy embedded Arm hardware can track kernel deprecation timelines like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Will devices running deprecated 32-bit Arm platforms still work after the Linux kernel removes their code?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Existing installations will keep working fine even after the code is removed from mainline. However, devices on these deprecated platforms won't be able to run mainline kernels from version 7.4 or 7.5 onward, since Arnd Bergmann's patches target Linux 7.5 for removal and CPU support drops the release after that. Anyone planning long-term support for embedded Arm hardware can follow kernel deprecation news like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What new Arm chip support is being added in Linux 7.3?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Linux 7.3 adds support for newer Arm chips including Apple's M3 Pro, M3 Max, M3 Ultra, Samsung Exynos 1580, and Qualcomm Shikra. This comes alongside a separate effort to remove code for older, deprecated 32-bit Arm platforms in later kernel releases. Developers tracking Arm chip support across kernel releases can follow updates like this on daily.dev."}}]} ```