Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

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Intel® EM64T FAQ's [I'm curious if anybody else notices something of interest located within this FAQ?]

Q1: What is Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology?
A1: Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology, or Intel® EM64T is an enhancement to Intel's IA-32 architecture. The enhancement allows the processor to run newly written 64-bit code and access larger amounts of memory. These extensions do not run code written for the Intel® Itanium® processor. Click here for a more detailed description of Intel® EM64T. Further details on the 64-bit extension architecture and programming model can be found in the 64-bit Extension Technology Software Developer's Guide.

Q2: Why is Intel introducing another 64-bit processor? Is there room in the market for two 64-bit processors from Intel?
A2: The server market segment is almost $50 billion and a "one size fits all" approach cannot address the unique computing needs companies require. We offer two architectures and will continue to invest in both. Keep in mind that 64-bits alone does not significantly change the fundamental features or performance of a processor. Intel® EM64T is one of a number of platform innovations Intel is delivering to enhance Intel's IA-32 platforms. Other enhancements include Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, PCI Express*, DDR2 memory support, enhanced power management, SSE3 instructions and high-definition audio. As Intel's flagship enterprise architecture, the Itanium® processor family is Intel's highest performance and reliability product for the business critical high-end server and technical computing market segments. It is successfully penetrating the multi-billion dollar high-end server and technical computing market segments dominated by RISC--based systems. These markets require much more than just 64-bits - the scalability and reliability of the Itanium processor family are paramount.

Q3: Which Intel processors support Intel® EM64T and when will they be available?
A3: On February 17th, 2004, Intel announced the company will add Intel® EM64T to its IA-32 processors code named Nocona (Intel® Xeon™ processor for dual processing servers and workstations), Potomac (Intel Xeon processor MP for multi-processing servers) and Prescott (product for uni-processor servers and workstations). This was an initial technology disclosure. Intel will, and has provided additional details as the introductions of these various products occur. Refer to http://developer.intel.com/hardwaredesign/processors.htm for details on which processors support Intel® EM64T.

Q4: Why is Intel doing this now?
We have looked at this since the late 1990s and have been pragmatic in our approach to bringing products to market that have complete platform, operating system and software support, beyond just a feature in a chip. We have said we would do this based on customer request and when the initial ecosystem was available. For servers and workstations, that criterion is starting to be met at the time our products are targeted to launch with this technology.

Q5: How will the performance of 64-bit Itanium® and 64-bit capable IA-32 processor based platforms compare?
A5: The Itanium processor family is and will continue to be the highest performing and most reliable product family we offer for high-end, multi-processor systems. We will provide more performance details on 64-bit capable IA-32 processors and their platforms when launched later this year.

Q6: Is Intel® EM64T the same technology used in the Itanium® 2 processor?
A6: No. Intel® EM64T is an extension to Intel's processors based on the IA-32 architecture. The Itanium processor family is based on the EPIC architecture. These are two separate families of processors based on two different architectures. The Itanium processor family is specifically designed for the most demanding mission critical applications.

Q7: Can the newly launched IA-32 Execution Layer run the new Intel® EM64T code?
A7: We will consider providing that capability if and when customers request it.

Q8: Which O/S (Operating System) will support Intel's processors with Intel® EM64T?
A8: The following O/S vendors have announced product support for Intel® EM64T. Contact each vendor for more details.

Microsoft:
Microsoft has said they will make 64-bit extended operating systems and compilers available in 1H '05. Contact Microsoft for additional details.
www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2004/feb04/02-17ExtendedTechnologyPR.asp


Red Hat:
Future versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux will support Intel® EM64T

* Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 update 2
o General availability completed on 5/19/04

Available via Red Hat Network https://rhn.redhat.com to Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscribers. Contact Red Hat for additional details.

SuSE:
Production support now available in:

* SL9.1
* SLES9

Contact SuSE for additional details.

Q9: Is it possible to write software that will run on Intel's processors with Intel® EM64T, and AMD's 64-bit capable processors?
A9: Yes, in most cases. Even though the hardware microarchitecture for each company's processor is different, the operating system and software ported to one processor will likely run on the other processor due to the close similarity of the instruction set architectures. However, Intel processors support additional features, like the SSE3 instructions and Hyper-Threading Technology, which are not supported on non-Intel platforms. As such, we believe developers will achieve maximum performance and stability by designing specifically for Intel architectures and by taking advantage of Intel's breadth of software tools and enabling services.

Q10: How will Intel® EM64T work and what software is there to take advantage of 64-bit extensions?
A10: Development of a broad "ecosystem", ranging from processors, chipsets and tools to operating systems (O/S), applications, utilities and drivers is expected to take some time to develop. Platforms with Intel® EM64T can be run in three basic ways (note: a 64-bit capable BIOS is required for all three scenarios):

1. 32-bit O/S and 32-bit applications (Legacy Mode): No software changes are required, however the user gets no benefit from Intel® EM64T;
2. 64-bit O/S and 32-bit applications (Compatibility Mode): This usage requires all 64-bit device drivers. In this mode, the O/S will see the 64-bit extensions, but the 32-bit application will not. Existing 32-bit applications do not need to be recompiled, and may or may not benefit from the 64-bit extensions. The application will likely need to be recertified by the vendor to run on the new 64-bit extended O/S.
3. 64-bit O/S and 64-bit applications (64-bit Mode): This usage requires 64-bit device drivers. It also requires applications to be modified for 64-bit operation and then recompiled and validated.

Q11: Will the Intel IA-32 processor with Intel® EM64T have more registers than IA-32 processors today?
A11: Yes, Intel's IA-32 processors with Intel® EM64T have 16 General Purpose Registers (GPR's) and 16 XMM registers. The GPR's and XMM registers are 64-bits and 128-bits in width, respectively, in processors with Intel® EM64T. The additional registers are only used by applications running in 64-bit mode. IA-32 processors without Intel® EM64T have 8 GPR's and 8 XMM registers. The GPR's and XMM registers are 32-bits and 128-bits in width, respectively, in processors without Intel® EM64T. More details can be found in the 64-bit Extension Technology Software Developer's Guide.

Q12: Will applications written for the Intel® Itanium® processor family run on Intel's IA-32 processors with Intel® EM64T without being re-compiled?
A12: No. The instruction sets for Intel's Itanium processor family are different than the IA-32 processor family. Applications need to be compiled separately for each processor family.

Q13: I have two platforms: one based on the Itanium® processor family, and one based on an IA-32 architecture processor family with Intel® EM64T. Will the same 64-bit operating system work on both platforms?
A13: No. Different operating systems are required for each type of platform due to the different instruction set architectures. Contact your OS vendor to identify which operating system is needed for your particular platform configuration.

Q14: I have two platforms: one based on an IA-32 architecture processor family with Intel® EM64T, and one based on an IA-32 architecture family without Intel® EM64T. Will the same operating system work on both platforms??
A14: Yes, if you are running a 32-bit operating system on both platforms. Both platforms will run 32-bit operating systems which are available today. However, a 32-bit operating system will not take advantage Intel® EM64T.

If you want to take advantage of Intel® EM64T, the first platform will need to run an operating system designed for 64-bit extensions. Operating systems for 64-bit extended systems will not run on the second platform. Contact your OS vendor to identify which operating system is needed for your particular platform configuration.

Q15: Does Intel® EM64T include support for AMD's 3DNOW!* instructions?
A15: No. Intel's IA-32 architecture does not support the 3DNOW! instruction set today. This will not change with the addition of our Intel® EM64T.

Q16: What changes are needed for an IA-32 based platform to run a 64-bit O/S and 64-bit applications?
A16: To run 64-bit applications and a 64-bit O/S, a platform will need an IA-32 processor with Intel® EM64T, along with updated BIOS and drivers that have been modified for Intel® EM64T. Contact your BIOS vendor and adapter vendor to get the BIOS and drivers which have been optimized for platforms with Intel® EM64T.

Q17: Will existing 32-bit software run, without being re-compiled, on an IA-32 processor with Intel® EM64T?
A17: Yes, with some notes of caution. Refer to the 64-bit Extension Technology Software Developer's Guide for more details.

Running a 32-bit application on a 32-bit O/S, even with a processor with Intel® EM64T, will execute without issue. With a 64-bit O/S and a 32-bit application the processor is designed to support this mode of operation completely (this is called compatibility mode). It is possible, however, that some applications may have certain dependencies beyond the processor's control (e.g. dependencies on the O/S or drivers) which may cause the applications to not run as expected.

Q18: Does Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology work in conjunction with Intel® EM64T?
A18: Yes. Both 32-bit and 64-bit applications can take advantage of the threading parallelism and performance improvements enabled with Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology.

Q19: When will Intel make available a compiler which will generate optimized code for Intel® EM64T?
A19: Intel's Rev 8.1 Fortran and C++ compiler for both Linux and Windows* supports Intel® EM64T and is available now at www.intel.com/software/products.

Q20: When will Intel make available software optimization tools for Intel® EM64T?
A20: Production availability for Intel® Vtune™ Performance Analyzer for Windows* version 7.2 is targeted for November 2004. The Linux version 7.2 is targeted to be available by the end of Q4 2004. Both support Intel® EM64T and production versions can be found at www.intel.com/software/products. MKL performance library (version 7.01) is available only to Premier customers: the Windows* version is available now; the Linux version is targeted for October 2004 availability. IPP (version 4.1) is available now at www.intel.com/software/products.

Q21: Where can I get applications that have been optimized for Intel® EM64T?
A21: Contact software vendors for their schedules, pricing and availability of applications compatible with Intel® EM64T. Like any industry transition, we expect it to take time for applications to be ported to the 64-bit extended operating systems. By comparison, there are currently >1000 applications optimized for the Itanium processor family.

*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

http://developer.intel.com/technology/64bitextensions/faq.htm