Re: [RFC PATCH] dt-bindings: power: Add power-limit-controller schema

Hi Manaf,

[+Cc Ulf]

On 7/9/26 20:07, Manaf Meethalavalappu Pallikunhi wrote:
> This RFC proposes a new device tree binding schema for power limit
> controllers that manage SoC power domains with hardware-enforced power
> capping capabilities.
> 
> Background
> ==========
> Modern SoCs implement sophisticated power management hardware that can
> monitor and enforce power consumption limits across multiple power
> domains. For example, Qualcomm's SPEL (SoC Power and Electrical Limits)
> manages hierarchical power domains including system-level, SoC-level,
> and individual subsystem domains (CPU clusters, GPU, modem, etc.).
> 
> These controllers help prevent thermal overload, maintain system
> stability, and comply with platform power budgets. However, there is
> currently no unified device tree representation that can describe their
> hierarchical nature and diverse capabilities.

I'm wondering if that could be described with the power domains and some 
additional properties

Documentation/devicetree/bindings/power/power-domain.yaml


> Proposed Schema Design
> ======================
> The schema supports a flexible, hierarchical structure:
> 
> 1. Power Limit Controller Node
>     - Root node representing the hardware controller
>     - Uses #power-limit-domain-cells for domain referencing
> 
> 2. Power Domain Nodes (power-limit-domain@N)
>     - Individual domains/zones under the controller
>     - Each domain identified by a register index
>     - Optional parent-domain property for hierarchical relationships
>     - Can be either:
>       * Monitoring-only (no power-limits child node)
>       * Power-limiting (with power-limits child node)
> 
> 3. Power Limit Constraints (power-limit@N)
>     - Multiple constraints per domain (PL1, PL2, PL3, etc.)
>     - Each constraint defines:
>       * Settable power limit (with min/max bounds)
>       * Settable time window for power averaging (with min/max bounds)
>       * Default values at boot/reset
>       * Constraint name for identification
> 
> Hierarchical Example (Qualcomm SPEL)
> ============================
>     System Domain (with PL1/PL2)
>       └── SoC Domain (with PL1/PL2)
>             ├── CPU Cluster Domain (with PL1/PL2)
>             ├── GPU Domain (monitoring-only)
>             └── Modem Domain (monitoring-only)
> 
> Before investing further in this direction, we would like to check with
> the community on a few points:
> 
> 1. Is a generic power-limit-controller binding the right approach here,
>     or should this remain a vendor-specific binding (e.g., under
>     qcom,spel)?
> 
> 2. If a generic binding is acceptable, does this schema design look
>     reasonable as a starting point?
> 
> 3. If this is the preferred direction, we would need to design a
>     generic driver that consumes this binding and exposes the domains
>     via the powercap sysfs interface — effectively requiring a
>     significant redesign of the existing Qualcomm SPEL driver to sit
>     on top of a vendor-agnostic core. Does that align with what the
>     community would expect here?
> 
> Any guidance on whether this is the right path forward — would
> be greatly appreciated before we commit further engineering effort.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Manaf Meethalavalappu Pallikunhi <[email protected]>
> ---
>   .../power/limits/power-limit-controller.yaml  | 238 ++++++++++++++++++
>   1 file changed, 238 insertions(+)
>   create mode 100644 Documentation/devicetree/bindings/power/limits/power-limit-controller.yaml
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/power/limits/power-limit-controller.yaml b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/power/limits/power-limit-controller.yaml
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..9cd4d9d6414d
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/power/limits/power-limit-controller.yaml
> @@ -0,0 +1,238 @@
> +# SPDX-License-Identifier: (GPL-2.0-only OR BSD-2-Clause)
> +%YAML 1.2
> +---
> +$id: http://devicetree.org/schemas/power/limits/power-limit-controller.yaml#
> +$schema: http://devicetree.org/meta-schemas/core.yaml#
> +
> +title: Power Limit Controller and Domains
> +
> +maintainers:
> +  - Manaf Meethalavalappu Pallikunhi <[email protected]>
> +
> +description: |
> +  Power limit controllers are hardware blocks that enforce power consumption
> +  limits on SoC power domains to prevent thermal overload, maintain system
> +  stability, and comply with platform power budgets.
> +
> +  The binding supports a hierarchical structure:
> +    - A power limit controller
> +    - Multiple power domains/zones under the controller
> +    - Each domain can have power limit constraints or be monitoring-only
> +    - Domains with constraints support multiple power limits (PL1, PL2, PL3, etc.)
> +
> +  Controller capabilities:
> +    - Hardware-enforced power capping for one or more power domains
> +    - Multiple configurable power limits per domain (sustained, burst, peak)
> +    - Time window controls for power averaging
> +    - Energy or power monitoring and reporting
> +    - Power balancing algorithms across domains
> +
> +  This binding describes the common properties for power limit controller
> +  provider nodes. Individual controller bindings should reference this schema
> +  and add device-specific properties.
> +
> +select: false
> +
> +properties:
> +  $nodename:
> +    pattern: "^power-limits(@.*)?$"
> +
> +  '#power-limit-domain-cells':
> +    description: |
> +      Number of cells in a power limit domain specifier for child domains.
> +      Typically 1, representing the domain index.
> +    const: 1
> +
> +patternProperties:
> +  "^power-limit-domain@[0-9]+$":
> +    type: object
> +    description: |
> +      Individual power limit domain/zone under this controller.
> +      Each domain can either:
> +        - Have power limit constraints (with power-limits child node)
> +        - Be monitoring-only (without power-limits child node)
> +
> +    properties:
> +      reg:
> +        description: Power domain index identifier
> +        maxItems: 1
> +
> +      domain-name:
> +        description: |
> +          Name of this power domain (e.g., "system", "soc", "subsystem").
> +        $ref: /schemas/types.yaml#/definitions/string
> +
> +      parent-domain:
> +        $ref: /schemas/types.yaml#/definitions/phandle
> +        description: |
> +          Reference to the parent power limit domain, if this domain is a
> +          sub-domain of another domain. This establishes a hierarchical
> +          relationship between domains.
> +
> +          For example, a "subsystem" domain might be a child of a "soc" domain,
> +          or a "soc" domain might be a child of a "system" domain.
> +
> +      power-limits:
> +        type: object
> +        description: |
> +          Container node for power limit constraints within this domain.
> +          Each child node represents a power limit constraint index.
> +
> +          This node is optional. If omitted (or if monitoring-only is set),
> +          the domain provides only power/energy measurement without limits.
> +
> +        patternProperties:
> +          "^power-limit@[0-9]+$":
> +            type: object
> +            description: |
> +              Individual power limit constraint configuration.
> +
> +              Each constraint defines:
> +              - A settable power limit
> +              - A settable time window
> +              - Optional min/max bounds for power and time window
> +              - A name identifier
> +
> +              Typical constraint indices:
> +                - Index 0: PL1 (sustained/long-term power limit)
> +                - Index 1: PL2 (burst/short-term power limit)
> +                - Index 2: PL3 (peak/instantaneous power limit)
> +
> +            properties:
> +              reg:
> +                description: Power limit constraint index identifier
> +                maxItems: 1
> +
> +              constraint-name:
> +                description: |
> +                  Name of this power limit constraint (e.g., "long_term", "short_term").
> +                $ref: /schemas/types.yaml#/definitions/string
> +
> +              power-limit-min-microwatt:
> +                description: |
> +                  Minimum power limit that can be configured for this constraint.
> +                  Represents the lower bound of the allowable power range.
> +
> +              power-limit-max-microwatt:
> +                description: |
> +                  Maximum power limit that can be configured for this constraint.
> +                  Represents the upper bound of the allowable power range.
> +
> +              power-limit-microwatt:
> +                description: |
> +                  Default power limit value for this constraint at boot/reset.
> +                  This is the initial value that will be programmed.
> +
> +              time-window-min-microsecond:
> +                description: |
> +                  Minimum time window for power averaging.
> +                  Shorter windows allow faster response to power excursions.
> +
> +              time-window-max-microsecond:
> +                description: |
> +                  Maximum time window for power averaging.
> +                  Longer windows provide more stable power limiting.
> +
> +              time-window-microsecond:
> +                description: |
> +                  Default time window value for power averaging at boot/reset.
> +                  This is the initial value that will be programmed.
> +
> +            required:
> +              - reg
> +
> +            additionalProperties: true
> +
> +        additionalProperties: false
> +
> +    required:
> +      - reg
> +
> +    additionalProperties: true
> +
> +additionalProperties: true
> +
> +examples:
> +  - |
> +    // Multi-domain power limit controller with mixed capabilities
> +    // Demonstrates multiple domains with and without power limit constraints
> +    power-limits@ef3b000 {
> +        compatible = "qcom,glymur-spel";
> +        reg = <0x0ef3b000 0x1000>;
> +        #power-limit-domain-cells = <1>;
> +
> +        // Domain 0: System domain with full power limit control (PL1/PL2)
> +        sys_domain: power-limit-domain@0 {
> +            reg = <0>;
> +            domain-name = "system";
> +
> +            power-limits {
> +                // PL1: Sustained/Long-term Power Limit
> +                power-limit@0 {
> +                    reg = <0>;
> +                    constraint-name = "long_term";
> +
> +                    power-limit-min-microwatt = <15000000>;     // 15W min
> +                    power-limit-max-microwatt = <28000000>;     // 28W max
> +                    power-limit-microwatt = <20000000>;         // 20W default
> +
> +                    time-window-min-microsecond = <1000000>;    // 1s min
> +                    time-window-max-microsecond = <10000000>;   // 10s max
> +                    time-window-microsecond = <8000000>;        // 8s default
> +                };
> +
> +                // PL2: Burst/Short-term Power Limit
> +                power-limit@1 {
> +                    reg = <1>;
> +                    constraint-name = "short_term";
> +
> +                    power-limit-min-microwatt = <15000000>;     // 15W min
> +                    power-limit-max-microwatt = <64000000>;     // 64W max
> +                    power-limit-microwatt = <45000000>;         // 45W default
> +
> +                    time-window-min-microsecond = <10000>;      // 10ms min
> +                    time-window-max-microsecond = <1000000>;    // 1s max
> +                    time-window-microsecond = <28000>;          // 28ms default
> +                };
> +            };
> +        };
> +
> +        // Domain 1: SoC domain - child of system, monitoring only
> +        soc_domain: power-limit-domain@1 {
> +            reg = <1>;
> +            domain-name = "soc";
> +            parent-domain = <&sys_domain>;
> +
> +            // This domain exposes only:
> +            // - power_uw (current power)
> +            // - energy_uj (energy counter)
> +            // - enabled (measurement control)
> +        };
> +
> +        // Domain 2: Subsystem domain with single power limit
> +        power-limit-domain@2 {
> +            reg = <2>;
> +            domain-name = "cpu";
> +            parent-domain = <&soc_domain>;
> +
> +            power-limits {
> +                power-limit@0 {
> +                    reg = <0>;
> +                    constraint-name = "subsystem";
> +
> +                    power-limit-min-microwatt = <5000000>;      // 5W
> +                    power-limit-max-microwatt = <15000000>;     // 15W
> +                    power-limit-microwatt = <10000000>;         // 10W
> +
> +                    time-window-microsecond = <1000000>;        // 1s
> +                };
> +            };
> +        };
> +
> +        // Domain 3: Another subsystem - monitoring only (no power-limits node)
> +        power-limit-domain@3 {
> +            reg = <3>;
> +            domain-name = "gpu";
> +            parent-domain = <&soc_domain>;
> +        };
> +    };