Chipmaker Intel has issued a veiled warning to Microsoft and Qualcomm over the plan by the two to run Windows 10 on the ARM platform, using the approaching 40th anniversary of the x86 processor to say that it will defend any infringement of its 1600 patents fiercely.
"We do not welcome unlawful infringement of our patents, and we fully expect other companies to continue to respect Intel’s intellectual property rights," Intel’s executive vice-president and general counsel Steven Rodgers and director of Systems and Software Research Richard Uhlig said.
Microsoft and Qualcomm have said they will enable ARM-based Snapdragon 835 processors to run Windows 10 with full x86-based emulation. This means that such devices will be able to run both applications from the Windows Store and legacy 32-bit apps.
Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard and ASUS have said they would manufacture Windows 10 notebooks and 2-in-1 hybrids powered by Qualcomm's chips.
{loadposition sam08}Intel, obviously, was not overly pleased with these developments, and after listing details of the history of its x86 processors, used some tough language to indicate that it would not hesitate to enforce its patents.
Rodgers and Uhlig wrote: "Intel’s innovations have achieved spectacular commercial success, and Intel carefully protects its intellectual property rights in these inventions.
After listing the benefits of the x86 instruction set architecture, the two wrote: "Intel carefully protects its x86 innovations, and we do not widely license others to use them. Over the past 30 years, Intel has vigilantly enforced its intellectual property rights against infringement by third-party microprocessors.
"One of the earliest examples, was Intel’s enforcement of its seminal 'Crawford ’338 Patent'. In the early days of our microprocessor business, Intel needed to enforce its patent rights against various companies including United Microelectronics Corporation, Advanced Micro Devices, Cyrix Corporation, Chips and Technologies, Via Technologies, and, most recently, Transmeta Corporation.
"Enforcement actions have been unnecessary in recent years because other companies have respected Intel’s intellectual property rights."
And, they added: "However, there have been reports that some companies may try to emulate Intel’s proprietary x86 ISA without Intel’s authorisation. Emulation is not a new technology, and Transmeta was notably the last company to claim to have produced a compatible x86 processor using emulation (“code morphing”) techniques.
"Intel enforced patents relating to SIMD instruction set enhancements against Transmeta’s x86 implementation even though it used emulation. In any event, Transmeta was not commercially successful, and it exited the microprocessor business 10 years ago."