Date: Wed, 26 May 1999 00:28:44 +0200
To: pgcc AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: EPIC/IA-64 Merced, etc
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In-Reply-To: <3749CB00.9E6BCB59@lycosmail.com>; from Adam Schrotenboer on Mon, May 24, 1999 at 05:56:16PM -0400
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From: Marc Lehmann <pcg AT goof DOT com>
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On Mon, May 24, 1999 at 05:56:16PM -0400, Adam Schrotenboer wrote:
> Noticed that there is aparrently some interest in EPIC, which at this
> time is not yet supported by GCC.

I am sure gcc will support Merced when it will released ;)

But first of all, if you want technical rather than strategic info I'd
recommend to look at the GCC EPIC page:

http://www.goof.com/pcg/epic/

(I'm currently in the process of adding new links to that page)

> My q is as to whether or not it is an open std, or is Intel going to
> charge a head and torso for any other chipmakers to use it?

EPIC is an architecture like RISC or CISC - you can patent aspects of it,
but not the idea itself.

What Intel does is to sell the IA64, and, yes, they are fairly
closed-minded about who gets which information.

> Will AMD be able to use it in an upconming K8 or whathever the next one

Good question. Don't think so.

> will be??? Or Cyrix (heard some talk of AMD buying Cyrix, though I don't

Even better question, I don't think Cyrix will, they've got quite a few
problems to solve with their current designs ;)

At the moment it seems that the only other counter-player against the
merced is the elbrus-2k, which might get delivered even earlier than the
merced!

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