The SGX-enabled Skylakes will arrive in a couple of weeks

Oct 3, 2015 22:48 GMT  ·  By

Intel has recently made public its plans to ship the next batch of Skylake CPUs in October with enhanced Intel Software Guard Extensions technology. The Skylake CPUs that will feature the new security tech will have new S-Spec and MM numbers, keeping, however, the same number of physical dies as the current-gen ones.

Apparently, the new SGX tech is basically a set of x86 extensions designed to improve software security via an “inverse sandbox” mechanism. This way, it will manage to identify and isolate all the malware on the platform, with legitimate code being sealed inside an enclave and protected from malware attacks. Unfortunately, SGX will not self-activate once a CPU is installed, but it will have to be supported by compliant processors, operating systems and applications.

According to Intel, the new Core i7, Core i5 and Xeon E3 1200 v5 that will carry the new MM numbers will have a “minor manufacturing configuration change in order to allow customers enable the new SGX” when using these chips. The overall CPUID signature will be identical with those already under production, while the die size and package will also stay the same.

Intel tested the new chips extensively in order to get them SGX-ready

The modifications will be so minimal that it appears that they won’t even need updated BIOS in order to get the SGX enabled, so on Intel’s side, the new feature won’t need a re-qualification and/or validation for these microprocessors. The main question remains, however, why Intel decided to sell the first wave of Skylake chips without the SGX support.

SGX was first launched in 2013, and it might have made it to the first Skylake generation right from the start, but it seems that Intel decided to postpone the feature for a couple of months. Maybe an extended round of tests were needed in order to finally port the SGX on the new processors, and this is why we see the updated chips barely this autumn.

Intel will apparently launch the new SGX-enabled Skylakes on the 26th of October, so if you plan to use applications that benefit from SGX, you'll have to wait another week or two until the new chips arrive, and only then make the new investment.