Qualcomm QUPv3 Firmware Upstreamed For Snapdragon X1 Elite Linux Users

The Snapdragon X1 Elite Linux experience just got a little better. Qualcomm has upstreamed the QUPv3 firmware to linux-firmware.git, marking another step toward making these ARM-based laptops more viable for Linux users without requiring Windows partition surgery.

For those unfamiliar with the pain points, running Linux on Snapdragon X Elite devices has been a firmware scavenger hunt. Most users had to extract necessary firmware files from the Windows 11 on ARM partition because the required bits weren't available in the mainline linux-firmware repository. The qcom-firmware-extract tool helped automate this process, but it was still an extra hurdle that shouldn't exist for hardware you own.

What is QUPv3 and why does it matter?

QUPv3 stands for Qualcomm Universal Peripheral version 3, which handles serial interfaces on the SoC including SPI, I2C/I3C, and UART. Without this firmware, these interfaces simply don't function, limiting the device's capabilities and breaking hardware that relies on them.

The firmware binary qcom/x1e80100/qupv3fw.elf is now available in linux-firmware.git, meaning future Linux distributions can include it by default without users having to jump through hoops. This follows a gradual trend of Qualcomm firmware making its way upstream, though the pace has been frustratingly slow.

The bigger picture

This upstreaming comes nearly 18 months after the Snapdragon X1 Elite's debut, and just as Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X2 series (Glymur). Speaking of Glymur, another firmware binary was also upstreamed today - the video firmware for this next-generation SoC.

While these additions are welcome, they highlight a broader issue: the Snapdragon X Elite Linux experience remains hampered by missing firmware. Several device-specific firmware files still haven't made it upstream, forcing users to maintain custom solutions or rely on Windows partitions.

What this means for users

The QUPv3 firmware upstreaming removes one more barrier to running Linux on Snapdragon X Elite devices. For new installations, this means:

• No more firmware extraction from Windows partitions
• Better out-of-the-box support in future Linux distributions
• More reliable hardware functionality for SPI, I2C, and UART devices
• Reduced maintenance burden for custom firmware packages

However, the journey isn't over. The remaining unupstreamed firmware continues to be a thorn in the side of the Linux-on-Snapdragon ecosystem. As Qualcomm moves forward with newer SoCs, the question remains whether firmware support will keep pace or if Linux users will perpetually play catch-up.

For now, the QUPv3 firmware addition is a small but meaningful victory for the Linux ARM community, proving that persistent upstreaming efforts can eventually bear fruit - even if the timeline leaves much to be desired.