Intel on 64-Bit:
We copy AMD but we're still better...
In a document calles "64-bit Extension Technology FAQ" posted on its website, Intel is, for the first time of the 64Bit saga mentionning archrival AMD. The Q&A 9 & 15 refer to compability issues with AMD standards and AMDers will appreciates that, for the first time of Intel's history, Intel is talking of "running on AMD's 64-bit due to the close similarity of the instruction set architectures" and, best of all, encourages developers to favor Intel when programming with the AMD64 instructions set "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.".
Q9: Is it possible to write software that will run on Intel's processors with 64-bit extension technology, 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.
Q15: Does Intel's 64-bit extension technology 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 64-bit extension technology.
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