The key technical milestones achieved as part of Intel’s and AMD’s work on the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group include new performance, security and reliability improvements coming to the x86 instruction set architecture, the companies say in a Monday announcement.
Intel and AMD on Monday revealed new performance, security and reliability improvements coming to the x86 instruction set architecture in an effort to keep their computer chips relevant against rising alternatives like Arm.
The rival chip companies made the announcement to mark the one-year anniversary of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group they founded last year to, in their words, “strengthen the future of x86 computing,” referring to the architecture at the foundation of their chips.
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The group has received support from several tech giants, including Microsoft, Dell Technologies, Lenovo and HP Inc.
Intel and AMD said the mission of the group is to “enhance compatibility, predictability and consistency across” products ranging from handheld gaming devices to supercomputers that run on x86-based processors.
The group has “made significant progress over the past year by aligning on architectural and technical priorities that foster a strong and more unified ecosystem,” they added.
In its first year, the group’s key technical milestones include a feature that will be standardized into future x86 chips called FRED. Short for Flexible Return and Event Delivery, the feature “introduces a modernized interrupt model designed to reduce latency and improve system software reliability.”
Intel and AMD have also established AXV10, short for Advanced Vector Extensions 10, “as the next-generation vector and general-purpose instruction set extension.” This feature “boosts throughput while ensuring portability across client, workstation and server CPUs.”
The group has also “accepted and implemented” ACE, short for Advanced Matrix Extensions for Matric Multiplication. This feature “standardizes matrix multiplication capabilities, enabling seamless developer experiences across devices ranging from laptops to data center servers.”
In addition, Intel and AMD introduced a unified memory tagging specification called ChkTag, which is meant to “combat longstanding memory safety vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows and use-after-free errors.” The feature “standardizes instructions to detect violations, helping secure applications, operating systems, hypervisors, and firmware.”
“With compiler and tooling support, developers gain finegrained control without compromising performance,” the two companies said. “Notably, ChkTag-enabled software remains compatible with processors lacking hardware support, simplifying deployment and complementing existing security features like shadow stack and confidential computing.”
