When your product depends on open-source software, maintaining downstream
patches becomes a hidden and growing cost. In our blog post “Linux Kernel Technical
Debt: The Hidden Burden in Embedded Development”, we explored how Linux kernel
technical debt quietly undermines product roadmaps.
At RISCstar, we help teams align with upstream projects so you can scale faster,
reduce ownership cost, and deliver secure, sustainable products.
Why Upstreaming Matters
Upstreaming ensures your hardware and features are:
Supported for the long term by the broader community
Validated continuously in project CI pipelines
Integrated properly using standard frameworks and APIs
Lower cost to maintain, update and secure
Upstream-first isn’t just best-practice — it's a business strategy
Upstreaming Across Open Source Ecosystems
We contribute to—and enable your code in key projects including:
OpenSBI
U-Boot, EDK2
Yocto Project / OpenEmbedded
Trusted Firmware A, OP-TEE
Linux kernel, Zephyr RTOS
You benefit from engineers with real upstream contributor experience and direct
community relationships.
Linux Kernel Upstreaming Expertise
From device drivers to complex subsystems, we help clients adopt an upstream-first
approach that:
Shortens the time between chip launch and mainline support
Keeps code aligned with modern kernel design frameworks
Minimises costly rebase & backport cycles
Strengthens your engineering team’s knowledge
In the blog, we outline how technical debt builds when kernel forks diverge from
mainline early — then security patches, feature additions and upgrades become
increasingly difficult.
Our Upstreaming Approach
Proven methodology, tailored to your platform maturity:
Code Review & Gap Assessment
We map your downstream changes, devise
alignment strategy and identify technical-debt hotspots.
Refactoring & Quality Improvements
Clean, readable patch series aligned with
the upstream community’s coding standards, reducing friction and future
rework.
Collaborative Upstream Submission
We manage the review cycles, coordinate
with maintainers and support your team through the upstreaming process.
Sustained Upstream Engagement
We build your team’s capability, embed
upstream-friendly workflows and monitor ongoing alignment to keep the debt
from returning.
Community Expertise + Established Relationships
Deep credibility with subsystem maintainers across many open source communities
Conference participation, published blog insights and upstream-track records
Direct communication channels that accelerate review loops and reduce risk
Why RISCstar?
RISCstar Strengths and Capabilities
Experience
Our engineers have extensive experience with upstreaming, with
many of them possessing over a decade of experience in the field.
Expertise
Our in-depth technical expertise enables us to deliver efficient and
effective upstream contributions. Our patch sets are in line with community
best practices, which avoids time-consuming negotiation with reviewers and
maintainers.
Relationships
We have built strong connections within the open source
community, including close ties with maintainers, and have earned their respect
based on our expertise and the professional manner in which we approach
upstreaming.
Efficiency
Our experience and relationships enhance our efficiency in
communicating with community maintainers, enabling RISCstar and our clients
to focus on solving the key technical challenges and securing timely
acceptance of our submissions.
Talent Pipeline
RISCstar has a highly skilled engineering team with the agility to
scale quickly. Clients can add experienced and specialty skilled engineers as
needed to meet requirements, challenges and timelines — especially during
pivotal stages such as new product and chip launches.
RISCstar Commitment When Upstreaming
Quality
We provide high-quality patches meeting the high expectations of
upstream maintainers.
Responsiveness
We provide timely responses to review feedback, allowing us to
work quickly with upstream maintainers to minimize the time to acceptance for
our patches.
RISCstar’s commitment to quality and responsiveness avoids the costs and delays that
come from submissions that do not meet the high expectations of the upstream
maintainers.
Build Sustainable , Open-Source Products
Upstream alignment removes uncertainty from your roadmap and cost structure.
RISCstar helps you get there — fast, with confidence and minimal disruption.
Let’s upstream your success — Contact our experts today
