Intel’s Linux Exodus: CPU Temperature Monitoring and Critical Drivers Orphaned
What is happening at Intel?
Intel’s unprecedented crisis deepens with over 24,000 global layoffs confirmed this year as part of a brutal workforce reduction.
The turmoil extends to leadership, with CEO Lip-Bu Tan facing Trump administration pressure for resignation over alleged China connections. Sadly, these turbulences now jeopardize Intel’s Linux ecosystem contributions.
These layoffs have hit Intel’s Linux kernel efforts hard. Several drivers that handle basic hardware functions no longer have anyone maintaining them.
The biggest concern is the coretemp driver, which monitors CPU temperatures on Intel processors. Fenghua Yu, who maintained it for years, has left Intel for NVIDIA. There’s no replacement maintainer lined up for this critical driver, and without it, users could lose temperature monitoring on upcoming Intel chips.
Other drivers are also affected. The Ethernet RDMA driver lost one maintainer but still has another. The WWAN driver for M.2 modems is completely abandoned.
