News Intel wins patent spat with R2 Semiconductor in the UK — chipmaker still has ongoing cases in Germany, Italy, and France

[Admin]

Intel won over R2 Semiconductor in the UK regarding the voltage regulation technology used in the 10th—to 12th-gen Intel chips, which the latter alleges infringed on its patents.

Intel wins patent spat with R2 Semiconductor in the UK — chipmaker still has ongoing cases in Germany, Italy, and France : Read more

 

[bit_user]

Intel is grappling with significant instability issues with its 13th and 14th-gen chips. It is due to an erroneous microcode that makes the CPU request for higher-than-normal voltage levels, damaging it.

This statement goes too far. Intel tells us it can fix the problem via microcode, but that doesn't mean the root problem is actually a microcode bug.

 

[bolweval]

Intel should have kept using R2's technology in the 13th and 14th gen chips!

 

[thestryker]

Intel tells us it can fix the problem via microcode, but that doesn't mean the root problem is actually a microcode bug.

Intel's statement actually said it's a microcode algorithm to blame which has seemed odd from the start as I've always been under the impression that was reserved for fixing issues:

Our analysis of returned processors confirms that the elevated operating voltage is stemming from a microcode algorithm resulting in incorrect voltage requests to the processor.

 

[-Fran-]

Intel's statement actually said it's a microcode algorithm to blame which has seemed odd from the start as I've always been under the impression that was reserved for fixing issues:

Until they were reminded of the Oxidation issues which they also admitted in the update. So, under that premise, what other things we may need to remind Intel so they come clean?

The problem is not what they're openly admiting to, but hiding.

As someone said in another thread: the discovery process in the lawsuits which will follow, for sure, shall yield interesting findings.

Regards.

 

[bit_user]

Intel's statement actually said it's a microcode algorithm to blame which has seemed odd from the start as I've always been under the impression that was reserved for fixing issues:

The definition of microcode is somewhat flexible, particularly since a lot of legal carve-outs tend to exist for it. Over the years, this has resulted into many things being termed "microcode" that we normally wouldn't regard as such.

In this case, it's probably firmware for their FIVR or some other programmable microcontroller that's involved in power management.

FWIW, I still think you can mitigate an issue via microcode and claim it's a microcode bug, since microcode could've handled it, even while it wasn't the root problem. However, since my argument is purely hypothetical, I'll withdraw my statement at least until such a time as any evidence emerges that supports it.