Posted to the Linux kernel mailing list and GNU Binutils mailing list today is an intriguing message from a longtime x86/x86_64 expert around a “a corporate entity other than Intel/AMD” using some x86 opcodes not used by AMD or Intel processors.
Longtime x86 expert Christian Ludloff posted a cryptic message to the LKML and Binutils mailing lists. An anonymous Phoronix reader in turn relayed the interesting occurrence to me. Christian Ludloff has worked for Google, AMD, TI, and others over the years as an x86 architecture expert as well as being known for his sandpile.org x86 CPU information site.
What’s the mystery? There are a lot of companies producing various x86 and x86_64 CPUs. Intel and AMD are just the “cutting edge” in terms of performance, efficiency, etc. I have no doubt some of those companies may be using some extra opcodes for various specialized purposes. So why is this news at all? (honest question)
Some people may not have known this. I didn’t know until now that there were other producers of that CPU architecture.
Someone’s forgotten Cyrix
And VIA, who bought it.
x86 and x86_64 are property of Intel and AMD iirc so they would know who licensed the architecture.