RISC-V eXecute In Place (XIP) support, introduced in Linux 5.13 in 2021, is being removed from the mainline kernel. XIP allows the kernel image to run directly from ROM or NOR flash, reducing RAM usage. However, the feature has been broken repeatedly — 18 months in 2023, 4 months in 2024, and again for 10 months since a recent commit. Developer Nam Cao authored a patch to remove it, citing clear evidence the feature is unused and untested. The patch is queued in RISC-V's for-next branch and is expected to land in Linux 7.1. The removal is reversible if users come forward.
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