Explain the X86 license to me

[AgentJean]

I saw this article at Inquirer that NVIDIA may try to get into the CPU market. It was stating that creating a X86 chip isn't that easy because of patents and the license required to make them.

Hasn't the X86 chips been out for over 20 years now(if not longer?). I thought patents expire after 20 years and then it's fair game. Who holds the x86 patent?

History lesson please.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Intel has most of the key patents, AMD and others have a few.

nVidia doesn't just want to make 8086 chips, so the possible expiration of patents related to 16-bit designs doesn't help that much.

 

[AgentJean]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Intel has most of the key patents, AMD and others have a few.

nVidia doesn't just want to make 8086 chips, so the possible expiration of patents related to 16-bit designs doesn't help that much.

So AMD had to get Intel's ok to make a CPU?
Why did Intel allow that?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Wiki knows, but way back in the 286 days it was common for chip designers like Intel to license the designs to other companies instead of trying to create a monopoly. They did this up through at least the 386.

My 286 and 287 math co-processor were AMD, as was my 386-40. Back then they were pin compatible with intel and used intel designs.

With the Pentium intel decided it could make more money keeping the chip business to itself, so companies like AMD were left with 386/486 licenses but nothing newer. That's when they had to start creating their own designs and sockets while trying to keep them software compatible.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: AgentJean

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Intel has most of the key patents, AMD and others have a few.

nVidia doesn't just want to make 8086 chips, so the possible expiration of patents related to 16-bit designs doesn't help that much.

So AMD had to get Intel's ok to make a CPU?
Why did Intel allow that?

Because they would be sued and the biggest reason is AMD has patents that Intel needed so it was we have rights to your you have rights to ours. Of course at the time intel thought no one could touch them. That all changed when the Athlon came out. But by then AMD had some many patents they had to work with them.

 

[AgentJean]

Wow, I sort of thought X86 was kind of a "open standard" in order to keep software compatibility issues almost non existant.
I know things like MMX and 3DNow were licensed technologies.


Live and learn.

 

[zephyrprime]

There have always been additional instruction sets added to the x86 isa since it's creation. Maybe these were patented. If that's so, it's kind of lame that an instruction set can be patented. Anyone can simply define an instruction set if they don't have to do any of the work to actually implement the chip.

 

[Furen]

As I understand it, IBM required Intel to allow other manufacturers to make x86 CPUs in order to have multiple sources for parts (which made it easier for parts to be acquired by clone-makers). Intel actually used to send its designs to AMD, which improved on them or just copied them directly. With the 386 Intel held back the design for a long time, and AMD sued. After lots of lawsuits, counter-suits and the like, a Judge granted AMD shared interest in x86 but required it to design its own microarchitecture

 

[nyker96]

I like this idea of just copy it, like when we used to copy homework in college, why do the hard work when you can copy or beautifully named cloning the design. :]

 

[AgentJean]

Originally posted by: nyker96
I like this idea of just copy it, like when we used to copy homework in college, why do the hard work when you can copy or beautifully named cloning the design. :]

One of my programminng professor's says "smart" developers design cookie cutter modules you can reuse over and over and over again and only "fools" reinvent the wheel.

I'm sure it is a lot cheaper to get a license then it would be to have a bunch of enginereers come up with their own design. Keep in mind software compatibility is a requirement when jumping into a CPU martket.