Intel quietly kills their x86S initiative

Intel pivots away from x86S to focus on industry collaboration

Intel has confirmed that they have abandoned their x86S initiative, a plan that would have seen Intel unilaterally slim down and de-bloat their x86 instruction set. Instead, Intel is now focusing on collaborative efforts through the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group, which Intel formed with AMD.

Now that the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group has been formed, it no longer makes sense for Intel to make drastic changes to the x86 Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). The x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group was created to ensure full interoperability and backwards-compatibility. As such, Intel cannot use x86S without standardisation with AMD and the input of other group members. Yes, Intel can still do what it wants, but it would destroy the x86 Advisory Group if it acted alone.

Sadly, it is unknown if any of Intel’s x86S plans will ever come to fruition. Perhaps the x86 Advisory Group will consider some of Intel’s planned changes. If they do, x86S will have a larger impact than it may have initially. After all, the advisory group was created to ensure standardisation and get buy-in from software vendors. Instead of x86S being a change that’s forced on the industry by Intel, its changes could now be implemented by AMD and Intel with the support for the world’s largest hardware and software vendors.

We remain deeply committed to the x86 architecture, as demonstrated by the creation of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group in collaboration with AMD and other industry leaders. This initiative reinforces our dedication to securing a strong future for x86, building on decades of software compatibility. While we have pivoted away from the x86S initiative, our focus remains on driving innovation and collaboration within the x86 ecosystem.

– Intel spokesperson to Tom’s Hardware.

Why did x86S exist? Will the x86 Ecosystem Group use some of Intel’s planned changes?

The x86 Instruction set architecture is over 40 years old and faces intense competition. Qualcomm’s ARM-based CPUs are now becoming competitive in the laptop market, and we know that Qualcomm also plans to enter the desktop CPU market. Furthermore, Apple’s move to ARM-based “Apple Silicon” CPUs has been highly successful. x86 remains dominant, and action needs to be taken to maintain that position.

Previously, Intel and AMD have created alternative solutions to solve similar problems. These actions create disunity within the x86 CPU market and a nightmare for software creators. The x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group was made to create a more unified approach to x86 development. It ensures that additions to x86 are useful to software developers, quickly adopted, and fully utilised.

x86S was Intel’s way to remove unnecessary features from x86. 32-bit instructions can be removed, and other unused features can be removed. This creates space for new x86 features and simplifies the designs of x86S CPUs. Will the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group consider these changes? Perhaps. That said, it will take years before the changes the group agrees on will be seen in the new CPU silicon. After all, it takes years for a modern CPU to be designed and manufactured.

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