back to article Intel, Google 'optimize' chips for Android

Intel will add another layer to its ongoing partnership with Google, announcing that the two companies will work together to optimize all future releases of Android for Intel-architecture processors. "Google and Intel have been working together as partners in computing solutions for many years in the data center, on Google TV …

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  1. Paul M 1

    So what does it mean?

    Must admit I'm not really sure if this is significant or not. Given intel's hesitation with Meego they don't look like they're ready to start making mobile phones with yet another OS so I guess we're talking tablets only.

    But intel don't get anywhere near the power efficiencies of ARM, right? Or is it just because desktop Windows is such a pig that it makes them look worse than they are?

    I guess as Dalvik is a VM most (all?) apps are unaffected by the underlying hardware...

    Nope - still don't see how/if this is important. I await enlightenment.

    1. Rob Dobs
      Unhappy

      It means AMD and Windows get chummier

      Whether they are optimizing for Linux Kernel or Android specifically, Windows and Apple both are the ones to loose out, look for them to maybe try to buy AMD, or certainly make closer bedfellows over this....

      1. Paul M 1

        I dunno though. I'd say AMD and Microsoft have been pretty chummy ever since Windows for AMD64 came out giving the final node of respectability to AMD's 64 bit architecture over Itanium.

        Plus I'm quite certain Intel already work with both Apple and MS to optimise each of their OSes.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "Windows and Apple both are the ones to loose out"

        Not significantly - it's extremely unlikely that Intel will favour Google over MS. And anyway, MS seems to be keeping their ARM options open with Win8. Apple are already on ARM for mobile and so they don't care - if they want optimisations they can do that in house with the chip expertise they've bought recently.

        No-one needs AMD.

        1. Rob Dobs
          Facepalm

          just the public and fair competition

          Without AMD you'd still be using a 400mhz Pentium II, and paying $500 for it.

  2. Kristian Walsh Silver badge
    WTF?

    Optimise for what, exactly?

    Java* VM , or the Linux kernel? Both of these are already used for profiling CPU designs. Beyond

    that, there's not a whole lot of "unique" inside Android.

    Mostly this looks like Intel putting a few engineers to work getting Android working okay on their chips. Like what they did with their own MeeGo.

    Oh.

    Never mind.

    * yeah, yeah, call it Dalvik if you want, it won't stop it being a Java VM.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Maybe it's optimised for cpu fans like Windows 8 is. Yes, I did! Ak ak ak!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Tail wagging the dog?

      They might be better optimizing Android to make full use of the hardware they already have before trying the reverse.

  3. Mikel
    Thumb Up

    It is a big deal

    The perception of performance in hand with battery life is not just a hardware or software thing. The two teams have to dance together. For a while now ARM platform vendors showed up to dance with Google, but Intel and AMD didn't. That is ending. That is a very big deal.

    Best keep it under wraps though, like they did the Intel Macs. Lots of griefers in their midst would like to leak it or shut it down.

  4. Dashing Partycrasher

    vice-versa

    Based on the announcement, the headline really should be "Google to optimize Android for Intel chips."

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @vice-versa

      good point but its IDF so it's Intel toadying up to Google in order to look relevant. It would be more interesting if they announced something radical such as a low-power architecture to rival ARM (properly) or something ...

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Do [no] Evil?

    Intel optimizing their silicon for Android I have no problems with. (I am assuming that we are not talking x86 server silicon here?)

    Google optimizing Android for Intel silicon (and consequently not ARM silicon) strikes me as probably anti-competitive given Intel's track record.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Daft

      Google optimizing Android for x86 and not optimising it for ARM would be insane. Intel don't have enough money going spare to bribe them to do that.

  6. Steve Liput

    Optimising the JIT comiler

    I think they are optimising the JIT compiler for Dalvik. This was introduced in Android 2.2 and is significant speed boost that needs to be optimised for each chipset

    It has already been done for ARM, and a company called Myriad Group have done it commercially for MIPS

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      And Intel has already worked with Sun on optimizing their JVM, so they know perfectly how to do that (hmm, wonder what the agreements with Sun/Oracle say about that...).

      Otherwise, Intel already contributes well to the Linux kernel, so that shouldn't change much.

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