Intel is preparing to launch its new Software-Defined Silicon (SDSi) mechanism, which will enable its Xeon processors to install new features and updates immediately after purchase.
The Sapphire Rapids series of chips from Intel will be the first to include this feature, and it will be aimed at workstations, servers, and other large-scale devices.
These extra features and upgrades will cost you extra money, and this isn’t the first time Intel has put processor features behind a paywall. Back in 2010, Intel launched the “Intel Upgrade Service,” which added extra clock speed and cache to some Core i3 processors for a fee.
This feature was never a success, and Intel discontinued it after a significant backlash. The internet was ablaze with debate over the implications of designing hardware with microtransactions.
Microtransactions, in which you have to pay extra for skins and content, are also disliked by the gaming community, especially for a game that you have already paid for.
And it appears that history is repeating itself once more. Eric Kosovec, a GitHub coder, stated, ”Only a matter of time before you bring this to end user CPUs and we have to pay monthly to overclock or even pay per months of usage. You should be ashamed of yourselves as developers.”
Intel is not disclosing much information about its new processors and is also defending itself against the criticism it is currently facing. The new SDSi program from the company is set to launch in the spring of 2022.
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