Intel: Don't Emulate Our Chip Architecture

If you want to make your own silicon chips and emulate Intel's x86 architecture to run Windows on them, Intel will probably come after you for patent infringement.

That seems to be the implicit message that Intel sent to Microsoft, ARM, and Qualcomm this week, following Qualcomm's recent announcement that the first Windows computers powered by its ARM-based Snapdragon chipset will go on sale this year. In a Thursday blog post, Intel's general counsel Steven Rodgers and its director of systems and software research Richard Uhlig touted the benefits of the x86 architecture and cautioned companies that might be trying to emulate it without Intel's approval.

"Intel carefully protects its x86 innovations, and we do not widely license others to use them," they wrote. "Over the past 30 years, Intel has vigilantly enforced its intellectual property rights against infringement by third-party microprocessors."

Last December, Qualcomm announced a version of the Snapdragon 835 designed to power Windows PCs, complete with emulation for older Windows software. Asus, HP, and Lenovo all plan to introduce sleek, fanless Windows tablets and notebooks in time for the holiday shopping season that take advantage of the power efficiency of the Snapdragon 835, originally designed to power smartphones.

Intel did not say whether or not those devices would violate its intellectual property rights, but it's clear the company is prepared for patent litigation.

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"Intel welcomes lawful competition, and we are confident that Intel's microprocessors, which have been specifically optimized to implement Intel's x86 ISA for almost four decades, will deliver amazing experiences, consistency across applications, and a full breadth of consumer offerings, full manageability and IT integration for the enterprise," Rodgers and Uhlig wrote. "However, we do not welcome unlawful infringement of our patents, and we fully expect other companies to continue to respect Intel's intellectual property rights."

Qualcomm itself is no stranger to defending its patents, so should things come to that, we could be in for an epic showdown reminiscent of the court battle between Apple and Samsung. For now, all that's clear is that Windows machines running on Snapdragon chips will be all the rage, both for holiday gift buyers and corporate lawyers.