Intel is working towards software-defined Xeon CPUs
This isn’t the first time Intel has tried pushing upgrades for its hardware via software
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AnIntelengineer has recently published a patch that introduces support for itsIntelSoftware Defined Silicon (SDSi) mechanism inLinux.
According to Intel, SDSi is designed to activate additional silicon features after a processor has been deployed, and for the time being at least, is meant for theupcoming Xeon processors.
“Intel Software Defined Silicon (SDSi) is a post manufacturing mechanism for activating additional silicon features. Features are enabled through a license activation process,”wroteIntel engineer David E. Box as he put out the patch for review.
Parsing through the patch,Tom’s Hardwarenotes that the patch does not mention any specific features it will help unlock, and only gives a general overview of the post-deployment feature-enablement mechanism.
Been there, done that
Interestingly, while SDSi seems to be a major initiative,Tom’ssuggests it isn’t Intel’s first attempt at offering software upgrades to its processors.
One example is Intel’s Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel VROC) technology, which banks on the Intel Volume Management Device (VMD) hardware built into the CPU, and is designed to be activated using a special key.
Phoronixchimes into add that Intel tried a similar approach to offer software upgrades to its hardware with the Intel Upgrade Service about a decade ago, which never offered Linux support and eventually fizzled out.
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The patch isn’t of much help either, since all it does currently is to lay the groundwork for the authentication process for SDSi, and doesn’t expose what Intel may pursue in regards to the feature upgrades.
ViaTom’s Hardware
With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’sTechRadar Pro’sexpert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.
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