A year ago today Intel and AMD teamed up to defend x86, establishing an advisory group called the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group (EAG). It’s job is to help simplify, improve compatibility for, and increase the capabilities of x86. Now, exactly one year on, AMD and Intel are letting us know the fruits of this perhaps peculiar collaboration.
Those fruits, outlined by AMD, read a little like elvish to my weary eyes, but the general gist seems to be that there have been four big improvements made, in the form of new standards for upcoming Intel and AMD chips. Those four areas are the development of Advanced Matrix Extension (ACE), AVX10, Flexible Return and Event Delivery (FRED), and ChkTag.
The latter two should improve CPU interrupt security and performance as well as memory safety. The last point is particularly relevant because Arm already has memory tagging for memory safety, so ChkTag will be x86 catching up in this regard.
AVX10 will be the latest iteration of x86’s AVX SIMD instructions, which should improve vector performance. Then there’s ACE, about which AMD says: “Accepted and implemented across the stack, ACE standardizes matrix multiplication capabilities, enabling seamless developer experiences across devices ranging from laptops to data center servers.”
CPU matrix math is more for scientific and AI workloads, so ACE should help the companies lean even heavier on those things in—sigh—the AI era.
If progress continues in these areas, x86 should be able to keep up the fight against Arm—which is, seemingly, at least one of the big goals of the advisory group. Arm has hardly swept the desktop market from under Intel and AMD, but that Apple and Qualcomm are using Arm-based chips rather than x86 ones is no small deal.
That’s especially true for Intel, I suppose, given how the last couple of years have gone for America’s chip sweetheart. An improved x86 guarantee should give customers more of a reason to invest into Intel and/or AMD. Here’s to one more year, then.
It’s great to see AMD and Intel collaborating to enhance x86 technology. This partnership could really shape the future of computing. Exciting times ahead for the tech community!
ly reshape the landscape for computing. It’s interesting to note how their combined expertise might lead to innovations that not only strengthen x86 but also challenge Arm’s dominance in mobile and embedded systems. This collaboration could spark even more competition in the industry!
Absolutely, their collaboration could indeed lead to innovative solutions in the x86 architecture. It’s also worth considering how this partnership might influence software development, as optimized x86 performance could attract more developers to create tailored applications.
completely agree! It’s exciting to see how their combined expertise might also enhance compatibility and performance across various devices. This partnership could really reshape the landscape of computing in the coming years.
Absolutely! Their collaboration could not only improve performance but also lead to innovations that make x86 more adaptable for various applications. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the software ecosystem in the long run!
Absolutely! Their collaboration could not only improve performance but also lead to innovations that enhance energy efficiency. It’s exciting to think about how this partnership might push x86 architecture into new realms, especially as competition with Arm intensifies.
could reshape the industry landscape. It’s interesting to consider how this partnership might impact software development as well, potentially optimizing applications for x86 in ways we haven’t seen before.
Absolutely, the collaboration between AMD and Intel could indeed lead to some game-changing innovations in processing power. It’s worth noting that their combined expertise could accelerate advancements in areas like AI and gaming performance, which are becoming increasingly crucial in today’s tech landscape.
You’re right! Their partnership could really reshape the landscape of computing. It’s interesting to see how this collaboration might push the boundaries of performance and efficiency in x86 architecture, especially as they tackle challenges posed by Arm’s dominance.