Intel Touch Host Controller Drivers Nearing The Mainline Linux Kernel

For the past several months Intel Linux software engineers have been working on Intel Touch Host Controller drivers as an IP block on the PCH for handling touchscreen, touchpad, and related touch input devices. On Sunday the fourth iteration of these driver patches were sent out as these new Intel open-source drivers near the mainline Linux kernel.

Intel engineer Even Xu explains of the Intel Touch Host Controller drivers:

“Intel Touch Host Controller (THC) is a new high performance input IP which can benefit HID device’s data transaction, such as touch screen, touch pad, stylus.

THC IP now evoluates to V4, it can support 3 different modes: IPTS, HIDSPI and HIDI2C. Here are upgrade history:

– THC v1, for TGL/LKF, supports intel private IPTS (Intel Precise Touchand Stylus) protocol ( IPTS mode)

– THC v2, for ADL, adds industrial standard HID over SPI protocol support (HIDSPI mode)

– THC v3, for MTL, enhances HID over SPI mode

– THC v4, for LNL, adds [industrial] standard HID over I2C protocol support (HIDI2C mode) “

Beyond v4 with Meteor Lake SoCs, the Intel THC driver support with the current patches do cover Lunar Lake and Panther Lake support too.

The v4 patch series has just minor fixes to the documentation / patch messages but besides that it looks like the code churn on these “intel-thc-hid” drivers have settled down. Here’s to seeing if it will be ready for the mainline kernel in the next cycle or two.