Tuesday, October 15th 2024
Intel and AMD Form x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group
Intel Corp. (INTC) and AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today announced the creation of an x86 ecosystem advisory group bringing together technology leaders to shape the future of the world's most widely used computing architecture. x86 is uniquely positioned to meet customers' emerging needs by delivering superior performance and seamless interoperability across hardware and software platforms. The group will focus on identifying new ways to expand the x86 ecosystem by enabling compatibility across platforms, simplifying software development, and providing developers with a platform to identify architectural needs and features to create innovative and scalable solutions for the future.
For over four decades, x86 has served as the bedrock of modern computing, establishing itself as the preferred architecture in data centers and PCs worldwide. In today's evolving landscape - characterized by dynamic AI workloads, custom chiplets, and advancements in 3D packaging and system architectures - the importance of a robust and expanding x86 ecosystem is more crucial than ever."We are on the cusp of one of the most significant shifts in the x86 architecture and ecosystem in decades - with new levels of customization, compatibility and scalability needed to meet current and future customer needs," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. "We proudly stand together with AMD and the founding members of this advisory group, as we ignite the future of compute, and we deeply appreciate the support of so many industry leaders."
"Establishing the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group will ensure that the x86 architecture continues evolving as the compute platform of choice for both developers and customers," said Lisa Su, AMD Chair and CEO. "We are excited to bring the industry together to provide direction on future architectural enhancements and extend the incredible success of x86 for decades to come."
The advisory group aims to unite industry leaders to shape the future of x86 and foster developer innovation through a more unified set of instructions and architectural interfaces. This initiative will enhance compatibility, predictability and consistency across x86 product offerings. To achieve this, the group will solicit technical input from the x86 hardware and software communities on essential functions and features. Collaboration will facilitate the creation of consistent and compatible implementations of key x86 architectural features and programming models, extending across all sectors - including data centers, cloud, client, edge and embedded devices - ultimately delivering downstream benefits to customers. The intended outcomes include:
CEO Quotes from Founding Members
Broadcom Inc. President and CEO Hock Tan
"We are at a crossroads in the history of computing. The x86 architectural decisions we make today will affect programming models, frameworks and systems for decades to come. Broadcom looks forward to lending its industry perspective to the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group as a pioneer in silicon development and x86 virtualization with VMware."
Dell Technologies Chairman and CEO Michael Dell
"Dell has a long history of working with the x86 platform. We look forward to collaborating with Intel, AMD and fellow x86 Advisory Group members to continue driving innovation for our customers and partners."
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian
"Google is excited to join this x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group to help shape the future of computing. Taking a pan-industry approach ensures consistent implementations, which aligns with Google's commitment to fostering innovation and providing the best possible experience for our developers and users. By simplifying and standardizing across the x86 ecosystem, we can unlock new levels of performance, efficiency, and ease of use, ultimately accelerating the development and adoption of cutting-edge technologies."
Hewlett Packard Enterprise President and CEO Antonio Neri
"HPE is honored to be a founding member of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group, helping shape a consistent future architecture with innovative new features that meet customers' evolving computing needs."
HP Inc. President and CEO Enrique Lores
"We are honored to join Intel, AMD, and other advisory group members to advance the x86 architecture. At HP, we believe that the future of work will require technology that drives growth and fulfillment for both employees and the companies they work for. Building a more efficient, secure, and customizable x86 ecosystem will help accelerate this evolution."
Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang
"Lenovo is delighted to be one of the founding members of this important new advisory group, given our role in the industry for the past decade. When we work together as an industry ecosystem, we all benefit, but more importantly, so do our customers. I'm looking forward to sharing our technical expertise as we collectively accelerate the growing x86 market across client, edge and cloud."
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella
"x86 has been foundational to modern computing for over four decades, and we want to ensure it continues to evolve and benefit everyone going forward. By bringing together partners across the industry, the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Board will play a critical role in shaping future x86 architectural features and help drive software consistency and standard interfaces."
Oracle CEO Safra Catz
"The x86 architecture has had a profound impact on the computing industry, driving innovations through constant evolution. As a long-time partner with both AMD and Intel, Oracle is proud to be a founding member of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group. We are committed to addressing customer needs by delivering technological advancements and fostering collaboration across the ecosystem."
Red Hat President and CEO Matt Hicks
"Red Hat believes that hybrid cloud computing represents the path forward for innovative IT, from cloud-native applications and services to AI and intelligent workloads. Forming the foundation of these great leaps forward is architecture choice, specifically standardized and well-defined architectures like x86. We're pleased to be a founding member of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group and look forward to serving as part of the industry vanguard in furthering x86 technologies as a cornerstone of IT's innovative future."
Sources:
AMD, Intel
For over four decades, x86 has served as the bedrock of modern computing, establishing itself as the preferred architecture in data centers and PCs worldwide. In today's evolving landscape - characterized by dynamic AI workloads, custom chiplets, and advancements in 3D packaging and system architectures - the importance of a robust and expanding x86 ecosystem is more crucial than ever."We are on the cusp of one of the most significant shifts in the x86 architecture and ecosystem in decades - with new levels of customization, compatibility and scalability needed to meet current and future customer needs," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. "We proudly stand together with AMD and the founding members of this advisory group, as we ignite the future of compute, and we deeply appreciate the support of so many industry leaders."
"Establishing the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group will ensure that the x86 architecture continues evolving as the compute platform of choice for both developers and customers," said Lisa Su, AMD Chair and CEO. "We are excited to bring the industry together to provide direction on future architectural enhancements and extend the incredible success of x86 for decades to come."
The advisory group aims to unite industry leaders to shape the future of x86 and foster developer innovation through a more unified set of instructions and architectural interfaces. This initiative will enhance compatibility, predictability and consistency across x86 product offerings. To achieve this, the group will solicit technical input from the x86 hardware and software communities on essential functions and features. Collaboration will facilitate the creation of consistent and compatible implementations of key x86 architectural features and programming models, extending across all sectors - including data centers, cloud, client, edge and embedded devices - ultimately delivering downstream benefits to customers. The intended outcomes include:
- Enhancing customer choice and compatibility across hardware and software, while accelerating their ability to benefit from new, cutting-edge features.
- Simplifying architectural guidelines to enhance software consistency and standardize interfaces across x86 product offerings from Intel and AMD.
- Enabling greater and more efficient integration of new capabilities into operating systems, frameworks and applications.
CEO Quotes from Founding Members
Broadcom Inc. President and CEO Hock Tan
"We are at a crossroads in the history of computing. The x86 architectural decisions we make today will affect programming models, frameworks and systems for decades to come. Broadcom looks forward to lending its industry perspective to the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group as a pioneer in silicon development and x86 virtualization with VMware."
Dell Technologies Chairman and CEO Michael Dell
"Dell has a long history of working with the x86 platform. We look forward to collaborating with Intel, AMD and fellow x86 Advisory Group members to continue driving innovation for our customers and partners."
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian
"Google is excited to join this x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group to help shape the future of computing. Taking a pan-industry approach ensures consistent implementations, which aligns with Google's commitment to fostering innovation and providing the best possible experience for our developers and users. By simplifying and standardizing across the x86 ecosystem, we can unlock new levels of performance, efficiency, and ease of use, ultimately accelerating the development and adoption of cutting-edge technologies."
Hewlett Packard Enterprise President and CEO Antonio Neri
"HPE is honored to be a founding member of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group, helping shape a consistent future architecture with innovative new features that meet customers' evolving computing needs."
HP Inc. President and CEO Enrique Lores
"We are honored to join Intel, AMD, and other advisory group members to advance the x86 architecture. At HP, we believe that the future of work will require technology that drives growth and fulfillment for both employees and the companies they work for. Building a more efficient, secure, and customizable x86 ecosystem will help accelerate this evolution."
Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang
"Lenovo is delighted to be one of the founding members of this important new advisory group, given our role in the industry for the past decade. When we work together as an industry ecosystem, we all benefit, but more importantly, so do our customers. I'm looking forward to sharing our technical expertise as we collectively accelerate the growing x86 market across client, edge and cloud."
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella
"x86 has been foundational to modern computing for over four decades, and we want to ensure it continues to evolve and benefit everyone going forward. By bringing together partners across the industry, the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Board will play a critical role in shaping future x86 architectural features and help drive software consistency and standard interfaces."
Oracle CEO Safra Catz
"The x86 architecture has had a profound impact on the computing industry, driving innovations through constant evolution. As a long-time partner with both AMD and Intel, Oracle is proud to be a founding member of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group. We are committed to addressing customer needs by delivering technological advancements and fostering collaboration across the ecosystem."
Red Hat President and CEO Matt Hicks
"Red Hat believes that hybrid cloud computing represents the path forward for innovative IT, from cloud-native applications and services to AI and intelligent workloads. Forming the foundation of these great leaps forward is architecture choice, specifically standardized and well-defined architectures like x86. We're pleased to be a founding member of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group and look forward to serving as part of the industry vanguard in furthering x86 technologies as a cornerstone of IT's innovative future."
33 Comments on Intel and AMD Form x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group
Yes, Intel is changing more than should be required, but AMD only allowed some of the backwards compatibility after there was a community uproar over AMD saying they wouldn't do it. Has that ever happened to Intel?
The reason for third party peripheral chips is because both AMD and Intel lacks the expertise and/or don't want to compete in low margin businesses. Those are also far less complex than a motherboard chipset. As an example, when USB 3.0 was all the rage, AMD made an awful integrated USB 3.0 host controller in their A68 chipset I believe and all their so called FCH chipsets that was slower than any of the third party options in the market. At least they didn't make this mistake with USB4. Well, that's your opinion and there's no way you could drop 80% of the instruction set, so I'm not even going to discuss this with you. Indeed, as we would've eradicated humankind...
You seem to be only thinking of desktop usage, whereas this partnership is more about the ISA itself, and the main selling points of x86 are server and laptops, desktops are just an afterthought at this point. X86S already goes away with some legacy boot stuff, I guess this group will make it easier to coordinate a push to this update.
What other memory model do you want to see in the ISA?
What other vector processing apart from SSE/AVX/AVX512 would you like to see? Phone/tablet stuff is not really related to the ISA at all, but rather how AMD and Intel design their chips.
Apple's M lineup could've been x86 as well and would've been great. ISA is just a matter of front-end and decoder for your compiler to target, after all. That I agree with. Nvidia for sure would be interested in licensing such core. ISA has nothing to do with that, it's just a matter of the underlying µarch. Intel just shoved a crappy desktop-level CPU in there and tried to run with it. They haven't done so, but nothing would stop them planning for that. Licesing the ISA itself is also an option, ARM makes a profit from both ways.www.nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/grace-cpu/
cloud.google.com/blog/products/compute/google-cloud-introduces-tau-vms
www.oracle.com/cloud/compute/arm/
aws.amazon.com/ec2/graviton/
Those look pretty big to me. But I don't get the fixation folks have with one ISA replacing another, nothing stops both from just co-existing, it's as simple as that.
ARM CPUs are just another CPU, pretty much like how you can pick between Epyc or Xeon when spinning up instances in your favorite cloud provider. And see no adoption whatsoever because no one is going to recompile everything for this new ISA without backwards compatibility for their current software?
And what benefit would such reduced ISA have? Even ARM keeps piling up new instructions with each new revision.
ARM has many different µarches going around, from big server ones (such as the neoverse cores), to smaller ones, all under the same ISA.
You won't be getting an AmpereOne core compact enough to a phone, as an example. Yeah, hence why this advisory group and them getting into agreement. If that will ever happen, or if they'll consider this a good idea, who knows.