In the world of x86 architecture and operating system development, few things are as simultaneously mundane and mission-critical as the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface). For the average user, ACPI is an invisible layer that manages power states, device enumeration, and hardware configuration. However, for developers, system administrators, and Linux enthusiasts, encountering a string like ACPI 80860F14 can signal a deep dive into hardware compatibility and driver debugging.
If you have run dmesg, lspci, or checked your device manager only to find an unknown device with the hardware ID ACPI 80860F14, you are not alone. This identifier is specifically tied to Intel's Bay Trail and Cherry Trail System-on-a-Chip (SoC) families. This article will dissect exactly what ACPI 80860F14 represents, why it causes problems on non-Windows operating systems, and how to resolve the associated issues.
If you prefer to download the file manually, you must get it from your laptop manufacturer's support page (e.g., Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS) or Intel directly.
The _CRS (Current Resource Settings) method for this device typically provides: Acpi 80860f14
A typical ACPI device scope looks like:
Device (I2C5)
Name (_HID, "80860F14") // Hardware ID
Name (_CID, "INT33F4") // Compatible ID
Name (_DDN, "Intel Bay Trail I2C Controller - 5")
Name (_CRS, ResourceTemplate ()
Memory32Fixed (ReadWrite, 0xFF128000, 0x1000)
Interrupt (ResourceConsumer, Level, ActiveHigh, Exclusive) 0x42
)
Name (_DSD, Package ()
ToUUID("daffd814-6eba-4d8c-8a91-bc9bbf4aa301"),
Package ()
Package () "clock-frequency", 400000
)
Since 2019, Intel has been migrating all Bay Trail and Cherry Trail audio support from the legacy SST driver to the Sound Open Firmware (SOF) project. SOF provides a vendor-agnostic, open-source DSP firmware.
For ACPI 80860F14, SOF handles the device much more elegantly. On Linux kernel 5.4+, you can enable SOF with: In the world of x86 architecture and operating
sudo modprobe snd_sof_pci
sudo modprobe snd_sof_acpi
Check status:
cat /sys/kernel/debug/sof/status
If you see 80860F14 bound to sof-acpi, you are using the modern stack. Most users should stick with SOF; it resolves nearly 90% of the 80860F14 initialization errors.
Between 2013 and 2016, Intel released the Bay Trail (e.g., Atom Z3700 series, Celeron N2800/J1900) and later Cherry Trail (Atom x5/x7) platforms. These system-on-chips (SoCs) were designed for tablets, low-cost laptops, and embedded devices. To save power and physical space, Intel moved many peripheral controllers—such as I2C, SPI, and UART—onto the SoC itself, exposing them via ACPI instead of traditional PCIe. Download and install the driver, then restart your computer
The I2C controller is a two-wire serial bus used to connect low-speed peripherals like:
Each I2C controller on the SoC gets a unique ACPI ID. The specific ID 80860F14 typically refers to I2C controller #5 or #6 on the Intel Low Power Subsystem (LPSS).