The base x86-64 patents expired in 2021. Also, it was held by AMD, not Intel.
However, there are a lot of extensions that are still under patent. You can make an x86-64 processor the way it was when Opteron was released in 2003, but it won’t be competitive with current offerings. Those extensions are patented by a mix of both Intel and AMD. Intel failing isn’t going to fully open x86-64.
Edit: also, it’s not just the patents, it’s the people. Via is still technically out there and could theoretically make its own x86-64 to modern standards. However, x86-64 is a very difficult architecture to optimize, and all the people who know how to do it already work for either Intel or AMD. Actually, they might only work for AMD, even before the layoffs.
Or, what if it just became irrelevant. It’s had a great run. But honestly ARM has shown plenty of versatility and power. While being licensable unlike x86. And things like riscv have similar of not better potential.
Its always going to be relevant, even if only emulated, simply because of how many code bases are stuck on x86/x86-64.
Open sourcing it and all of its extensions solves the licensing problems of not only itself, but Arm, while providing a battle tested architecture with decades of maturity.
Also imagine the fun FPGA consoles could have with that?
Imagine if x86-64 got blown open because of it? Might literally be the best thing to happen to computing in like 40 years.
Really fuckin’ doubt it’ll happen, but a girl can dream XP
The base x86-64 patents expired in 2021. Also, it was held by AMD, not Intel.
However, there are a lot of extensions that are still under patent. You can make an x86-64 processor the way it was when Opteron was released in 2003, but it won’t be competitive with current offerings. Those extensions are patented by a mix of both Intel and AMD. Intel failing isn’t going to fully open x86-64.
Edit: also, it’s not just the patents, it’s the people. Via is still technically out there and could theoretically make its own x86-64 to modern standards. However, x86-64 is a very difficult architecture to optimize, and all the people who know how to do it already work for either Intel or AMD. Actually, they might only work for AMD, even before the layoffs.
Or, what if it just became irrelevant. It’s had a great run. But honestly ARM has shown plenty of versatility and power. While being licensable unlike x86. And things like riscv have similar of not better potential.
Its always going to be relevant, even if only emulated, simply because of how many code bases are stuck on x86/x86-64.
Open sourcing it and all of its extensions solves the licensing problems of not only itself, but Arm, while providing a battle tested architecture with decades of maturity.
Also imagine the fun FPGA consoles could have with that?
Oh I have no issues with it being relevant in the same sense the Z80 68k or 6502 still being relevant. Just not part of a controlling duopoly.
Thank you. Thank you for giving me hope lol