Intel’s CEO has declared that x86 hardware is anything but dead, announcing a new expert partnership that will see it join long-time rival AMD to promote the technology.
Speaking at Lenovo Tech World 2024, Pat Gelsinger took the stage to announce the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group, an all-star alliance that could go a long way in ensuring it remains popular for some time.
“Some have said, you know, is the x86 ready?” Gelsinger said on stage. ‘Well, I can tell you that the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. We are alive and well, and the x86 is thriving.”
x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group
The new group includes some of the biggest names in technology today, including leaders from Microsoft, Google, HPE and Dell.
Representatives from Broadcom, HP Inc, Lenovo, Meta, Oracle, Epic Games and Red Hat are also in attendance, along with Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux.
The move may have been prompted by the growing presence of ARM-based chips from Qualcomm, including the Snapdragon
This had led some industry observers to predict that x86 may be disappearing – a notion that the new collective is keen to dispel, noting in an accompanying press release: “For more than four decades, x86 has served as the foundation of modern computing, establishing itself as the architecture of choice in data centers and PCs worldwide.”
“The advisory group brings together leaders from across the ecosystem to shape the future of the x86 to simplify software development, ensure interoperability and interface consistency, provide developers with standard architecture tools and instruction sets, provide a clear view of the to have a future,” he added.
One of the new group’s goals is to increase compatibility between hardware and software, including simplifying architectural guidelines to improve software consistency and interfaces.
“We consider it one of the most important periods of innovation ahead of us, and we see that the x86 architecture, the foundation of computing for decades, is about to enter a period of customization, expansion and scalability,” says Gelsinger. stated, highlighting the tremendous opportunities presented by the growth of AI, which he said meant “our ecosystem is robust and growing.”
AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su also took the stage at Lenovo Tech World and was quick to applaud the new partnership, noting from the news shows “how unique this time is in technology.”
“Ultimately, we’re trying to accelerate computing power and accelerate adoption,” she says. “x86 has been the main leader in architecture for the last four decades, and the idea is that AMD and Intel have all these founders (that) can really accelerate the pace of innovation in the future.”
Looking ahead, the group will continue to promote x86, and this could be the start of greater collaboration between tech giants in the future.
“For once Lisa and Pat agreed on something,” Gelsinger chuckled, “who would have thought?”