Intel and AMD on Tuesday announced a new partnership to create an x86 ecosystem advisory group to shape the future of the x86 architecture they invented in the late 1970s, which has recently begun to face increasing competition from Cambridge-based Arma. While Intel and AMD are rivals, both chip makers will work together with several partners including Lenovo, Dell, Google, HP, Microsoft and Meta to ensure compatibility for x86 software on their processors, an advantage offered by Arm chips.
The formation of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group was announced by Intel and AMD at the OCP Global Summit in California, as part of the chipmakers’ efforts to “enable cross-platform compatibility” while easing the software development process for x86 platforms. The move comes as both companies have been ceding market share to Arm over the past few years.
While x86 processors dominated the PC and server sectors for years after Intel released the first x86 processor four decades ago, more computers powered by Arm chips — such as Apple’s M-series and Snapdragon X-series — are readily available in 2024. the launch of the octa-core Snapdragon X Plus brought the price of the Arm-powered down below the $800 mark (roughly Rs. 67,200).
The formation of the advisory group comes as Arm continues to grow in popularity. Grand View Research estimates the Arm-based server market size to be around $5.84 billion (roughly Rs. 49,070 crore) in 2023, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.3 percent from 2024 to 2030.
Linus Torvalds and Tim Sweeney are members of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group
Photo credit: Intel
Arm-based chips have a unique advantage — the British company obligates all chip makers to include support for running Arm software — which is a key advantage when it comes to compatibility with hardware from different manufacturers.
A new x86 ecosystem advisory group aims to deliver similar software compatibility on AMD and Intel processors using a “more uniform set of instructions and architectural interfaces,” based on input from the x86 hardware and software communities.
Founding members include Dell, Broadcom, Lenovo, Google, Microsoft, HP, HP Enterprise, Oracle and Red Hat. Linux kernel creator Linux Torvalds and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney are also members of the advisory group.
If successful, the initiative could result in better software compatibility across x86 platforms used in PC, data center, cloud, client, edge and embedded devices along with faster adoption of new features.
“We are on the cusp of one of the most significant changes to the x86 architecture and ecosystem in decades—with new levels of customization, compatibility, and scalability needed to meet current and future customer needs,” Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said in a prepared statement.
“The establishment of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group will ensure that the x86 architecture continues to evolve as the computing platform of choice for both developers and customers,” said AMD President and CEO Lisa Su.