14
July
2005
|
00:22 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Intel's Dirty Tricks

by Richard Koman for SiliconValleyWatcher


Chip_Poker-med.jpgWhy is Intel inside better? According to AMD's suit against the Santa Clara chipmaker, it's because Intel intentionally compiles programs to run slower on AMD chips. The complaint charges, according to TechWorld.


"Intel has designed its compiler purposely to degrade performance when a program is run on an AMD platform. To achieve this, Intel designed the compiler to compile code along several alternate code paths. Some paths are executed when the program runs on an Intel platform and others are executed when the program is operated on a computer with an AMD microprocessor. (The choice of code path is determined when the program is started, using a feature known as “CPUID” which identifies the computer’s microprocessor.) By design, the code paths were not created equally. If the program detects a “Genuine Intel” microprocessor, it executes a fully optimized code path and operates with the maximum efficiency. However, if the program detects an “Authentic AMD” microprocessor, it executes a different code path that will degrade the program’s performance or cause it to crash."


Also, as widely reported: Intel's offices across Europe were searched by EU investigators. Offices in England, Milan, Madrid and Munich were caught up in the investigations of abusive marketing practices.


Complaint is on AMD's site (PDF).