
AMD openSIL Adds EPYC "Turin" Support as "Phoenix" Remains in Development
AMD's openSIL project, a solution for open CPU silicon initialization code aimed at replacing traditional AGESA, has reached another milestone. Back in February, we reported on AMD promising full support for "Turin" and "Phoenix" server and client SoCs. The company initially targeted the end of 2024 for the release of proof-of-concept code, but failed to meet this deadline. A new target was subsequently set for the first half of 2025. As we roll into the second half, AMD openSIL now supports only the EPYC 9005 series Turin server processors, with Phoenix client SoCs still in development. AMD firmware engineers explained: "Currently, the Phoenix openSIL PoC release is still being worked on internally at AMD. We have encountered some delays in obtaining the necessary approvals to open-source the code, which has impacted our timeline. We are actively working to resolve these issues and are making every effort to expedite the process."
The path towards a fully open-source silicon initialization code is difficult, as it can expose many microarchitectural details. These are usually closely protected, as IP from Zen cores is valuable. An AMD engineer also added, "We understand the importance of this project to the open-source community and are committed to delivering it as promised." Nonetheless, the primary goal remains achieving full production readiness with the upcoming Zen 6 architecture. The openSIL project promises to enhance Coreboot support and provide developers with full access to low-level system components.
The path towards a fully open-source silicon initialization code is difficult, as it can expose many microarchitectural details. These are usually closely protected, as IP from Zen cores is valuable. An AMD engineer also added, "We understand the importance of this project to the open-source community and are committed to delivering it as promised." Nonetheless, the primary goal remains achieving full production readiness with the upcoming Zen 6 architecture. The openSIL project promises to enhance Coreboot support and provide developers with full access to low-level system components.