Official x86 Zhaoxin Processor Support Is Coming With Linux 5.3

[schmidtbag]

This could be the first interesting VIA x86 CPU since.... ever. I'm sure it'll still pale in comparison compared to Intel and AMD (maybe even ARM) but at least it won't be garbage before it's even released.

[tuxd3v]

And who will enforce that exactly? What is stopping HiSilicon from making already designed chips? They are cut off from new designs, just like with AMD only sharing Zen architecture for Hygon Dhyana and denying anything newer.

Unauthorized Chinese merchandise is not a new thing

China, has at lest 4 known archs,
Via cpus, with x86 been the most known..
one( designed by them ) not available to the public, restricted to Supercomputers and such..
the loongson mips64 based or at least inpired by.. ( 3A2000, 3B2000 ), that is more or less mainstream( and on linux, they can do Binary translation of ARM or x86.. )
One has a general purpose 32 bits, CSKY for DSP/Satelite receivers, iot, and so on..

Ofcourse Xiaomi/HiSilicon, and others have ARM based cpus, and since they have licences for at least armv8 Cortex A72, they can continue producing them, and even starting deriving from them to a hybrid arch..

[tuxd3v]

VIA is so lagging behind in x86 and x64 development.

Intel is also lagging a lot on x64 and also AMD,
Since x64 is dead for almost 2 decades.

AMD uses AMD64, and intel also uses AMD64... which( because Intel was feeling depressed with its name... ) is now called x86_64.

[numacross]

Intel is also lagging a lot on x64 and also AMD,
Since x64 is dead for almost 2 decades.

AMD uses AMD64, and intel also uses AMD64... which( because Intel was feeling depressed with its name... ) is now called x86_64.

To be honest both AMD and VIA are lagging behind Intel in terms of support for newest instructions. Ice Lake is supposed to bring AVX-512 to the desktop variants while AMD will only reach AVX2 execution parity (full 256-bit execution units instead of using 2x128-bit in Zen/Zen+) in Zen 2. Meanwhile KaiXian KX-6000 is at the AVX2 level as well, but I couldn't find any implementation details or specific AVX benchmarks.

I don't think amd64 is "dead" since it's actively being developed by at least both Intel and AMD. What is your definition of a "not dead" architecture if I might ask?

[tuxd3v]

I don't think amd64 is "dead" since it's actively being developed by at least both Intel and AMD. What is your definition of a "not dead" architecture if I might ask?

I agree at some degree..
AMD new cpus seems to do more raw computing( better SMP.. not to be confused with SMT.. ), intel have better ipc, or had in the past, per core..

No , What I mean is that 'x64' is a death arch since almost 2 decades( x64 was a tentative to bring intel x86 cpus to 64 bits( by intel.. ) that failed, almost 2 decades ago.. intel uses 'amd64', now generically called x86_64 )..
What intel and amd uses is 'amd64' implementation, now called x86_64, ( because intell was feeling a bit depressed with its name.. 'AMDXX' ).

'AMD64' continues alive, since both intel and AMD uses it massively, in all products they launch..

[stormcrow]

I agree at some degree..
AMD new cpus seems to do more raw computing( better SMP.. not to be confused with SMT.. ), intel have better ipc, or had in the past, per core..

No , What I mean is that 'x64' is a death arch since almost 2 decades( x64 was a tentative to bring intel x86 cpus to 64 bits( by intel.. ) that failed, almost 2 decades ago.. intel uses 'amd64', now generically called x86_64 )..
What intel and amd uses is 'amd64' implementation, now called x86_64, ( because intell was feeling a bit depressed with its name.. 'AMDXX' ).

'AMD64' continues alive, since both intel and AMD uses it massively, in all products they launch..

I think what you mean is IA64 is dead (eg: Itanium). IA64 is the Itanium arch shorthand, x64 is the shorthand for x86-64 AKA AMD64 the current market architecture. This is because historically the successors to the 8086 architecture has historically been shorthanded as "x86" for Intel's penchant for brand naming their CPUs by model name up to the Pentium line (586 & 686). That stopped with the Pentium II, but the slang short hand x86 stuck.

[edwaleni]

Seems that we cut off the AMD JV on Zen/Epyc, so this VIA JV will be it for now. Huawei had their ARM rights revoked as well.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/am...war,39703.html

https://www.extremetech.com/g00/computing/293677-the-us-just-banned-amds-chinese-joint-venture-from-developing-and-selling-hardware

[Guest]

I think the current trade war between the USA and China highlights the point pretty well that you sometimes need your own homegrown designs because you cannnot (or due to security concerns don't want to) import foreign tech.

I'll tell you what they tell me: just audit it. Buy IP from AMD or someone else, audit it, and make your own chips with it.

[tuxd3v]

I think what you mean is IA64 is dead (eg: Itanium). IA64 is the Itanium arch shorthand, x64 is the shorthand for x86-64 AKA AMD64 the current market architecture.

No,
X64 was the intel tentative to bring x86 to 64 bits...that died, almost 2 decades, because AMD created AMD64( and it was superior to X64, in stability and efficiency ), and Microsoft ported windows 2k to it..
X64 != ( amd64 || x86_64 )

amd64 is now called by intel has x86_64..

The Original name of IA64, is HP EPIC, that is another arch, for what we now know of itanium cpus..

[ms178]

I'll tell you what they tell me: just audit it. Buy IP from AMD or someone else, audit it, and make your own chips with it.

That might take care of security, but not of politics. AMD just pulled out of the THATIC deal (hence no Zen 2 tech for China). Not only are they legally bound by the export ban, but there is also no way around it if you want to keep dealing with the US government (and its lucrative HPC deals).