The x86 processor has been a dominant tech paradigm since the 1980s—and the most widely used computing architecture in the world for most of that time. Today brings something I never thought I’d see: AMD and Intel working together on the future of x86. The rival chipmakers have formed a collaborative x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group to boost interoperability, smooth out integration and generally simplify life for developers, ISVs, OS makers and OEMs.

Why now? Each processor architecture speaks a different “language” that dictates software compatibility. Intel and AMD processors “speak” x86, while processor designs such as the Apple M series, AWS Graviton and Qualcomm Snapdragon “speak” Arm. For decades, x86 has dominated both datacenter compute and the PC; meanwhile, Arm currently dominates smartphones and IoT. But Arm has been encroaching into x86 territory lately—as seen by its increasing popularity in the hyperscale datacenter and its new role in Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC initiative.

Arm has a process of aligning with its ecosystem on updates to the instruction set and uses a consistent set of interfaces and IP to connect its intellectual property. Meanwhile, x86 is led architecturally by Intel, and any alignment with AMD is achieved primarily between x86 ISVs. Net-net, there hasn’t been a coordinated approach to get AMD and Intel on the same page—something customers want—until today.

Yesterday I did something else I never thought I would by joining the two CEOs, Lisa Su of AMD and Pat Gelsinger of Intel, on a call to discuss this initiative. I’ve had many conversations with each of them individually, and I was impressed by the degree of alignment between them. Su even commented on how odd it seemed to her when, more than once, Gelsinger answered my questions “exactly the same way” she would have answered them. And this is not just AMD and Intel coming together in an initiative; it is supported by the CEOs of tech titans. Read on for what I learned during that conversation.

Full disclosure: AMD and Intel are clients of my firm, Moor Insights & Strategy, as are most of their major customers and competitors.

The Market Pressures And Technological Evolution Affecting X86

When it comes to the changes that AMD and Intel must face today, AI is only the tip of the iceberg. Besides every type of computer from smartphones to laptops to datacenter servers, chip-supported intelligence is being embedded in industrial and residential IoT devices, smart wearables, more automotive subsystems than ever—and the list goes on. At the same time, chips themselves are becoming vastly more complex, with custom chiplet designs and elaborate 3-D packaging that would have been hard to imagine a few years ago. (I say this as someone who worked at a high level in the semiconductor industry for decades.)

In this context, the new advisory group will look for ways to deepen the appeal of x86 across many different platforms, giving software developers and OEMs more clarity and simplicity so they can continue to create products that take advantage of x86’s unique reach and compatibility.

Speaking of that, Gelsinger told me a story yesterday that I had never heard before. For context, back in the late 1980s, he led the team at Intel that developed the 486 processor. “When I started architecting the 486, decades ago,” he said, “my marketing manager walks into my office and writes ‘Compatibility’ at the top of my whiteboard. You know, there’s just a value proposition that you can plug this old stuff in and it still works, right?” That’s been a major part of x86’s appeal for four decades.

It’s also worth remembering that all of these companies—even Intel and AMD—have collaborated in the past on industry standards for technologies we take for granted today, including PCI/PCIe and USB. To further unify x86, the group will solicit input from interested hardware and software providers who have first-hand experience with how the architecture is implemented across various settings including the cloud, datacenters, clients, the network edge and embedded devices.

How Can AMD And Intel Make Cooperation And Competition Coexist?

Su was very forthright on this point. “Frankly, in the past, we may have had customers wanting us to align better, because it just makes it easier for them in their software stack.” In that context, she thinks that cooperating with Intel on x86 standards is “a major benefit for our customers and for the ecosystem.” She went on to explain that if the two companies “can align on these architectural directions,” they can continue to innovate and differentiate themselves in terms of implementation.

Gelsinger cited security models as an example where the two companies “haven’t done our ecosystem a favor” by pursuing different approaches. “I think we could have done a better job and had a more active upstreaming of shared operating system-level support in the past,” he told me. He added that Linus Torvalds, among others, expressed a specific interest in that area as one where the two companies might reach better alignment.

One commonality between the two companies is that they are both havens for world-class engineers. Su told me that she and Gelsinger sponsored some high-level discussions between the companies’ engineers. “What we found is, first of all, there’s a deep respect between the two teams,” she said. “Yes, we’ve competed hard for X number of years, but we also have, I think, two of the best processor teams in the industry. And we know what problems we’re trying to solve going forward.”

If the advisory group operates according to plan, x86 customers and partners will participate in the architectural conversation earlier. “This will allow x86 to innovate a lot faster,” Su said. “And yes, obviously Pat will continue to build his product. We’ll continue to build ours. There’ll be competition, but there’ll also be expansion of the capability of x86.”

Both CEOs also agree that there is a huge market opportunity for x86 going forward. Gelsinger was careful to point out that it’s not a zero-sum game between x86 and Arm. Still, he said, “There are billions of Arm cores going out there in the world, [and] to some degree, I view all of those as in the target market that’s available to x86 going forward.” That was in response to my question about potential new ways to expand x86, given that it’s already so entrenched in the datacenter, storage, PCs and industrial large edge environments. Further expansion for x86 could come in automotive, mobile and embedded devices, for starters.

What X86 Ecosystem Partners Get Out Of This Initiative

The Who’s Who of ecosystem partners in the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group includes Broadcom, Dell, Google, HP, HPE, Lenovo, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat, Tim Sweeney of Epic Games and Torvalds of the Linux Foundation. I’m struck by the sheer number of supporting quotes coming from people who want this effort to work, including many of the most important CEOs in tech—Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Hock Tan of Broadcom, Safra Catz of Oracle, Yuanqing Yang of Lenovo, Michael Dell and more.

Nadella said that “x86 has been foundational to modern computing for over four decades, and we want to ensure it continues to evolve and benefit everyone going forward.” He specifically cited the role the group could play in “shaping future x86 architectural features” and driving “software consistency and standard interfaces.”

In his comments, Tan looked to the future: “We are at a crossroads in the history of computing. The x86 architectural decisions we make today will affect programming models, frameworks and systems for decades to come.” He noted that Broadcom will be able to provide perspectives on both silicon development and, thanks to its VMware acquisition, x86 virtualization.

Speaking of the founding members, Su said, “This group together actually is the majority of the market. And you know, what we’re trying to do with this is to make it faster, easier, to continue to address the breadth of applications.”

Gelsinger added, “The objective is expanding and creating front-footed energy for the x86 ecosystem. That’s why we’re forming it. That’s the expectation of the advisors that are coming together for it.” For him, it’s about “taking the world’s greatest software ecosystem that’s ever existed and firmly positioning it for the future.”

What Success Looks Like For The X86 Ecosystem Advisory Group

A few things must happen for this initiative to succeed. First, Intel and AMD have to live up to the good intentions that Gelsinger and Su expressed during our conversation. One thing I love about engineers is that they have a shared spirit of getting stuff done—and both AMD and Intel are loaded with great engineers who live and breathe x86. So, if the two companies promote true collaboration in response to input from partners, I absolutely believe that they can achieve great things together.

As far as the partner interactions, the group will need a well-understood decision making process that everyone can get behind. That means swift, well-vetted decisions taken on behalf of the group as a whole rather than just a subset of its members. Given the nature of this group, I hope that it will operate a little more quickly and decisively than some industry standards bodies. Regardless, every member company must know for certain that its views are being given full consideration. I see no shrinking violets among the membership, so my expectation is that the group’s meetings will be full of candor, and its published standards will be full of transparency.

To bring up one specific point, success will also depend on addressing aspects of the ecosystem beyond x86 instructions. I’m thinking especially of embedded accelerators such as SSE, AVX, AMX and SHA. When I asked the CEOs about this specific issue, Gelsinger said, “I consider all of those things—things like AVX and AMX and security extensions—to be on the table, because that’s the kind of feedback that we want now. AMD and Intel will, respectively and individually, make our own decisions with regard to what we put into products and how we compete in the marketplace, but everything relative to the ecosystem [and] ISVs, both at the application and the OS level, I consider on the table in these discussions. That’s the premise under which a very powerful collection of companies are joining the advisory group.”

That’s when Su told me that she would have answered my question “exactly the same way.” She added, “What we’re trying to do is make this easier for the customers in the ecosystem. . . . There are many other places where we can differentiate and we will differentiate. And the market’s a huge market, right? We’re in a large market that continues to grow, so let’s make it easier for the industry to adopt and innovate around x86.”

That’s music to my ears—and no doubt the main reason behind the glowing quotes from group members that I referenced above. Time will tell how well AMD and Intel follow the blueprint for success with this effort. Until then, my hat’s off to Lisa Su and Pat Gelsinger for coming together like this. If executed well, I do absolutely believe this leaves x86 in better standing.