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How does an instruction set solve supply chain trust?

I suggest you reconsider [1] & [2], but apply the thought process in the context of a physical CPU. The problem is not source access or patents, the problem is you don't have an electron microscope to look at these nanometers-wide elements; even if you did, it's still an insanely difficult process.

[1]: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rdriley/487/papers/Thompson_1984_Ref...

[2]: https://research.swtch.com/nih




Very simply, by not requiring Intel or AMD to produce the hardware to implement the isa.

It's true, but irrelevant, that you can't trust a risc-v cpu from Intel any more than an x86 cpu from Intel.

But I think the bulk of x86 and amd64 patents have expired since the 90's already, so I think you could have other suppliers designing and fabricating x86_64 royalty-free and open-source today just as well, and risc-v is particularly interesting at least as much for the simpler start-over design as for the pure unencumbered ip.


Maybe that was not the intent but I read it as a reference to Intel ME.




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