Qualcomm Patching Linux For Hardware Thermal Binning To Benefit Snapdragon X Laptops

A new patch series sent out from Qualcomm that aims to help at least the Snapdragon X series laptops is hardware-binned trip point support. Some Qualcomm SoCs are available in different multiple thermal/package bins with different junction temperature limits but otherwise being the same silicon. The new Linux patches are working to properly convey that information around the thermal limits for a given piece of silicon.

Qualcomm engineer Gaurav Kohli sent out on Friday the Linux thermal subsystem patches working on this hardware-binned trip point support for their SoCs. He explained that some SoCs are available in multiple thermal/package bins that otherwise is the same silicon but with different junction temperature limits set via manufacturing fuses.

The new Linux patches add generic hardware-binned trip point support to the thermal framework's OF parser. Gayrav added that there is relevance to these patches for the Snapdragon X1 Elite (X1E80100) and newer SoCs:

"Qualcomm TSENS is added as the first user of the generic support. On SC7280/QCM6490-class platforms, TSENS reads the jtag-id and feat-id QFPROM cells and maps them to the thermal hardware bin. On X1E80100-class platforms, TSENS reads the i-temp QFPROM bit. The decoded bin is passed to the thermal OF registration path before trip points are parsed."

From a LPC 2025 presentation last year on the thermal binning topic it was noted that some of the thermal binning can come down to different thermal interface materials, differences in thermal conductivity, and other differences in packaging technology.

The patches are out for review on the Linux kernel mailing list.