Can Intel make ARM ?

[enewmen]

Hi all.

Just asking, why doesn't Intel make ARM CPUs?
Intel doesn't own ARM, but they do make all kinds of chips and can make ARM better than any other company (if they want to).
A chance to take over the world?
I don't see x86 around much longe anyway, liks BIOS,.
What am I missing?

thanks!

 

[MarkG]

Just asking, why doesn't Intel make ARM CPUs?

They used to.

But why would they want to make chips using a competitor's design? Particularly when the margin would be a tiny fraction of what they can make on an i5?

 

[Frizzo]

enewmen - love the icon. tom baker owns

 

[compulsivebuilder]

What are you missing? History, perhaps? People have proclaimed the death of the x86 line of CPUs several times. Each of them has proved to be wrong.

Some people claimed that Mac would supplant PC, because it was based on a better CPU (the 68xxx series). Then the Mac moved to Power PC, and they told us that Power PC would be more successful than x86. Then, to their horror, the Mac moved to x86

ARM doesn't seem likely to be the one to displace x86 on desktops, and probably not full power laptops, either.

Atom (also made by Intel) seems to be working for netbooks and other low-power devices.

 

[vaughn2k]

Because Intel does not want to pay license with ARM....

ARM means Advanced RISC Machine (where it was Acorn RISC Machine, before ABC spuns to ARM Holdings), invented by ARM holdings, wayback 1980s. I have an industrial computer (or board, literally) built in Motorola 68000 processor ARM based, we used for ATE machines.

Intel on the other hand started the 8080 processor somewhere early 1979), which eventually become x86 architecture (8086). I have also a Zilog Z80, which is also a compatible 8080. We've kinda used it during my college days, in low level programming.

ARM is selling the ARM technology, while Intel is achieving X86, and Intel will not buy license from ARM, because they have the X86, that is for sure.

They will try to move into mobile platforms using X86 technology.

 

[enewmen]

Thanks forf the posts!
I heard of Intel trying to make phone chips for a long time.
But never seen a i5 or Atom in any mainstream smartphone. Phone CPUs use less than 1 watt and have standby (always on) mode for over a week. I don't know any current or future Atom that can do this.
Is the problem x86 or Intel?
I would love to see Intel give Samsung a good spanking, but I don't see this happening.

Personally I will like to see Intel make a radically new instruction set & architecture that can scale well from the smallest phone to the biggest supercomputer. Compatibility with old software? Use an emulator.

 

[MarkG]

Compatibility with old software? Use an emulator.

To emulate an x86 CPU you typically need a CPU that's 10x faster than the one you're emulating. Good luck finding one.

Sure, you can easily emulate programs that don't use much CPU power and spend most of the time idle or in Windows APIs that can be recompiled for the new CPU, but anything CPU-intensive will run like a slug. The last time Intel tried x86 emulation was the Itanium, and that was a disaster.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Thanks forf the posts!
I heard of Intel trying to make phone chips for a long time.
But never seen a i5 or Atom in any mainstream smartphone. Phone CPUs use less than 1 watt and have standby (always on) mode for over a week. I don't know any current or future Atom that can do this.
Is the problem x86 or Intel?
I would love to see Intel give Samsung a good spanking, but I don't see this happening.

Personally I will like to see Intel make a radically new instruction set & architecture that can scale well from the smallest phone to the biggest supercomputer. Compatibility with old software? Use an emulator.

Intel has an Atom geared towards smartphones with the ability to play music for a week straight and Fujitsu just announced a Atom based smartphone, using the Atom Z600, that can also run Windows 7 Home Premium:

http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2011/05/16/world%E2%80%99s-first-atom-smartphone-fujitsu-loox-f-07c-video/

http://pocketnow.com/smartphone-news/atom-powered-fujitsu-f-07c-runs-windows-7-not-wp7

It is supposed to be able to do 2 hours for Windows 7, not sure on the mobile OS though. Plus Intel just kicked up its ramp for Atom. Originally it was every 3 years they would have a new Atom now its every year. The next one to hit will probably utilize 22nm which will have the 22nm 3D Tri gate technology and a few power enhancements which I think could easily rival ARM based CPUs while offering the ability to do Windows on a phone easier with better battery life.

And honestly two hours on that small of a battery is not that bad. I remember when 2 hours on a large laptop battery was amazing. Of course now with more advanced parts its better but still, impressive to see a smartphone running Windows 7.

 

[enewmen]

Intel has an Atom geared towards smartphones with the ability to play music for a week straight and Fujitsu just announced a Atom based smartphone, using the Atom Z600, that can also run Windows 7 Home Premium:

http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2011/05/16/world%E2%80%99s-first-atom-smartphone-fujitsu-loox-f-07c-video/

http://pocketnow.com/smartphone-news/atom-powered-fujitsu-f-07c-runs-windows-7-not-wp7

It is supposed to be able to do 2 hours for Windows 7, not sure on the mobile OS though. Plus Intel just kicked up its ramp for Atom. Originally it was every 3 years they would have a new Atom now its every year. The next one to hit will probably utilize 22nm which will have the 22nm 3D Tri gate technology and a few power enhancements which I think could easily rival ARM based CPUs while offering the ability to do Windows on a phone easier with better battery life.

And honestly two hours on that small of a battery is not that bad. I remember when 2 hours on a large laptop battery was amazing. Of course now with more advanced parts its better but still, impressive to see a smartphone running Windows 7.

I hope you're right about the Atom ramped up and beating ARM in 2-3 generations. The Cedar Trail seems like only a modest improvement. But yes, I think Intel learned its lession, give the Atom much better performance per watt (not just better manufacturing), give it as much love as the desktop/notebook CPUs, and the Atom will beat (not just rival) ARM in a couple of years.

 

[enewmen]

enewmen - love the icon. tom baker owns

Thanks. Tom Baker is one of the (very) few actors I know that makes everything spoken sound good.