Microsoft
Microsoft seems to lastly be placing its foot down on how far again it’s prepared to go in terms of supporting older {hardware}. As of the upcoming Home windows 11 24H2 construct, Microsoft would require that your processor helps the POPCNT instruction. In the event you’re questioning what that’s and whether or not it will have an effect on you, you’re not alone.
This new addition was noticed by Bob Pony on X (previously Twitter). In response to the person, if the CPU doesn’t assist the POPCNT instruction or it’s disabled, Home windows received’t work in any respect. A number of system recordsdata now require this instruction, beginning with the Home windows 11 kernel. Lengthy story brief — no POPCNT, no Home windows 11 24H2.
However what even is that this POPCNT instruction? It stands for “inhabitants rely.” It’s a easy, however helpful instruction that counts the variety of set bits (ones) in a machine phrase. As software program engineer Vaibhav Sagar explains: “For instance (assuming 8-bit phrases for simplicity), popcount(00100110) is 3, and popcount(01100000) is 2.”
So HUGE discovery present in Home windows 11 Model 24H2, since construct 25905.A CPU with the instruction "POPCNT" IS NOW REQUIRED!There are numerous system recordsdata requiring the POPCNT CPU instruction, from the Home windows 11 kernel to the USB XHCI drivers.
With out POPCNT, it doesn't boot! pic.twitter.com/vCWYvzfu6k
— Bob Pony (@TheBobPony) February 11, 2024
Suffice it to say, it’s actually, actually previous — not less than by computing requirements. It was first launched within the Sixties as a software program resolution, reportedly on the behest of the Nationwide Safety Company (NSA), as a software to assist decrypt messages. A lot later, it grew to become commonplace as a {hardware} resolution in client CPUs within the early 2000s, beginning with AMD’s Barcelona (Phenom II) processors and Intel’s Nehalem (the primary Core collection). These launched in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
As of late, POPCNT finds its makes use of in cryptography, knowledge compression algorithms, bioinformatics, machine studying, and AI, amongst different issues. It appears to be an essential, albeit typically ignored instruction. Sagar additionally factors out its usefulness in workloads resembling operating binary convolutional neural networks.
What’s the purpose of Microsoft out of the blue making a 60-year-old instruction necessary in its subsequent Home windows construct? Tom’s {Hardware} factors out that Microsoft would possibly need to be certain that all Home windows 11 PCs are able to supporting binary neural networks.
The excellent news is that, until your PC is just about historic, that is nothing it is advisable to fear about. In idea, the Home windows 11 TPM 2.0 requirement already locks these computer systems out, as that could be a a lot newer criterion to satisfy (though it may be bypassed). Lovers who attempt to drive newer working methods onto outdated {hardware} could have a tough time getting previous this one, although.
Microsoft could be decided to make AI PCs the norm and that’s that, with options resembling auto upscaling mentioned to be coming within the subsequent massive patch.
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