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Intel and AMD join forces - The x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group

ZehDon

Member
This reminds me of IBM's OS/2 push in the face of the home computer market, trying to lock up the corporate sector to guarantee adoption through their deals. They just didn't realise the market had evolved.

Intel is struggling and AMD looks like its betting the farm on CPU since nVidia refuses to give them an inch. Everyone who's got the money to contemplate ARM is contemplating it.
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
Apple silicon might be slower but they destroy everything in single threaded performance and lately other chip designs are catching up. Saw this the other day and x86 needs to stay on its toes or ARM will eat its lunch. We saw how quickly AMD ate Intel's server marketshare, they took about 30-35% in 6 years. They cant afford to sit around.
The difference is that going Intel to AMD in a server doesn't change too much (as far as I'm aware). For businesses around the world that have and continue to run essential software, switching a whole company over to a different architecture, and that's assuming ARM versions of exisitng X86/64 software exists, is not an easy if at all possible task. And that's one thing X86 has on its side: people are basically stuck with it for now.
 

simpatico

Member
Can someone link me an article or video where someone smarter than me talks about how x86 isn't in its dying days and can compete with ARM for decades to come? I don't even know where I got this impression. Just something I'm curious about since we've had some.... troubles iterating.
 

bitbydeath

Member
Wasn't ARM powered Copilot PCs supposed to be the future of Windows? I think MS is playing for both teams here.
They were recently struggling to get games running on ARM.

 

ap_puff

Member
In number of sold CPUs? Because its way way higher for ARM, they are in servers, Apple Machines, all the phones, smart devices, fridges, washing machines, etc...
They are above 10% in server marketshare, but probably not over 15%. They have practically 0 marketshare in desktop PC but have basically 100% of mobile and tablet. So they are probably over 70% of total electronic devices that use more than rudimentary computing.
 

Bashtee

Member
I'm glad to see some movement. Competition at any level will only benefit us consumers, and now it's ARM vs. x86. Hopefully, they will be able to reduce power consumption significantly. This is ARM's biggest advantage.
I assume this just means easier. Hopefully it doesn’t mean only x86 will ensure ps4/5 compatibility.
It probably does. It will be much easier to simulate a lower-specced version of itself than a different architecture.
 

Jinzo Prime

Member
I assume this just means easier. Hopefully it doesn’t mean only x86 will ensure ps4/5 compatibility.
They were recently struggling to get games running on ARM.

Valve is reportedly working on cross ISA compatibility via Proton, so it's not impossible for Sony and Microsoft to do the same.
 

Fess

Member
Is ARM this big of a threat that this was needed?
Don’t devs have to make specific versions or run stuff through an emulation layer?
 

Zathalus

Member
The latest chips from AMD and Intel are highly competitive on both the power usage and performance front. Intel Lunar Lake trades blows with the latest M4 from Apple. x86 has issues, but most of the problems with power issues have been due to the chip architecture itself.
 
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Strange that VIA isn't a member?
VIA?
star wars GIF

What next we gonna talk about Cyrix?
 

ShaiKhulud1989

Gold Member
The heat from ARM is real but one can argue that Intel needs this little support group way more than AMD.

It is also worth noting that ARM is not a magic bullet either. Funnyli enough despite the open-ended facade ARM architecture development is limited to ArmHoldings. Arm Holdings develops the ISAs and then license them to other vendors whereas x86 is developed by at least two companies in equal measure and without limits. It is also unnerving that Arm Holdings are constantly moved back and forth (Nvidia buyout try, Apple's crawling clutches on the architecture itself), so it's very wise for big chipless companies like Microsoft to keep their eggs in several baskets.

I, for once, welcome the creation of this group. Two rival architectures is a way-way better than situation than x86 dominance for past two decades. It's also potentially better than possible ARM takeover that will lead to us to Intel's x86 heydays.
 

winjer

Member
I think some people here are misunderstanding this x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group.
This does not mean Intel and AMD are now allies. It just means a greater collaboration to define the instruction set for future CPUs.
ARM defines very clearly how each instruction has to be done, for each revision of the ARM standard. And this means that software makers can better optimize for the ISA, without having to specify code for each maker.
AMD and Intel have a more open approach, where each develops it's own instructions and how they operate. A good example of this is AVX, that has several implementations and is a mess for any dev to write and optimize code.
And this is good for anyone on the X86 ecosystem. And it makes it more competitive against ARM.
 

Kadve

Member
VIA?

What next we gonna talk about Cyrix?
Well unlike Cyrix they are still around. Though like Matrox they have long since abandoned the consumer market and i believe they mostly just makes SOC's nowadays.

Hell im not even sure they are even using X86 anymore. Their boards mostly just seems to use Mediatek CPU's in recent years.

Anyway. Intel and AMD partnering up isn't exactly a new thing. They cross license stuff from each other all the time such as the entire X64 thing which was entirely AMD developed.
 
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And here we go, folks.....

1). Introductory comment is made to test the waters.
2). Chips and Cheese article is posted.
3). Video about Chips and Cheese article is posted, with the poster failing to acknowledge that the spotlighted guest goes on to acknowledge that, indeed, x86 is inefficient and is tied to legacy bullshit that it needs to shed.
4). Others point out that having an assortment of chip makers and architectures to choose from is great for the market.
5). Nvidia is essentially crowned today's future champion because an all in one computer from them simply has stunning implications for the market.



Like Apple, there was no way in Hell Microsoft was going to be left with toothless Intel defining standards and timeframes.
Wake me up when Grace and Grace Next are actually useful. Thanks.
 

Tazzu

Member
That is not because if ISA.
Apple ARM cores are very wide but with low clock speed. This makes these CPUs more expensive but more energy efficient.

Then there is the advantage of process nodes, since Apple is usually the first client to use the newest from tsmc.

And then there is the software. Because Apple controls, both the software and the hardware, they can better optimize their own OS, drivers, apps, etc.

Finally, there is Microsoft. That keeps screwing up Windows with bugs, bloatware and spyware.
I thought the Apple ARM hype has died down? Besides aren't the considerably cheaper to produce given their size?
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
That is not because if ISA.
Apple ARM cores are very wide but with low clock speed. This makes these CPUs more expensive but more energy efficient.

Then there is the advantage of process nodes, since Apple is usually the first client to use the newest from tsmc.

And then there is the software. Because Apple controls, both the software and the hardware, they can better optimize their own OS, drivers, apps, etc.

Finally, there is Microsoft. That keeps screwing up Windows with bugs, bloatware and spyware.

Still the big fat Performance cores hit over 4.0 GHz (efficiency cores target less than 3 GHz peak but in the Max and Ultra configurations you get lots of both) and their RT implementation in the GPU is at least as advanced as the latest nVIDIA.

With that said this is a great read: https://chipsandcheese.com/p/arm-or-x86-isa-doesnt-matter

On the other side, what AMD is showing with portable handhelds is that x86 can be very very competitive there if designed for it.
You can still make the ISA matter at very low power consumption and most of all in massively massively multicore scenarios (but then those designs are for customers that can afford the super special expensive cooling needed and non-x86 ISAs HW are also using similar tricks in a way or the other).
In the end, you can make a great x86 design and you can make a horrible ARM or RISC-V ISA (people hate the vector extensions they made to both, SVE on ARM is not being well received at all apparently) and the inverse of that sure.
 
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