Intel Skylake processor error causes computer to freeze during complex computing



    A group of German scientists from the German community hardwaluxx.de discovered an error in the operation of Intel Skylake processors, which caused the computer to freeze during complex calculations. Later, mathematicians from the Voluntary Computing Mersenne Primer Project ( GIMPS ) confirmed the problem. The bug manifested itself during the search for Mersenne primes using the Prime95 tool.

    Intel representatives also reported the presence of an error:

    “Intel has discovered a problem that could potentially affect sixth generation Intel Core products. The error appears only in certain conditions when performing complex calculations when starting applications like Prime95. In such cases, the processor may freeze. ”

    The company has created a patch and is currently working with partners to distribute it using a BIOS update.

    The company’s message does not explain the cause of the problem, but it confirms the fact that it affects both Linux and Windows systems.

    Appendix Prime95 is traditionally used for the implementation of the stress tests of computers - it uses the fast Fourier transform for the multiplication of very large numbers. For example, a system failure was detected when working with an exponent of degree 14 942 209.

    According to scientists who discovered the error, it can manifest itself not only in the field of mathematical calculations, but also in other industries where complex calculations are required - for example, in the financial industry. At the same time, the GIMPS team notes that their software works "super normal" on computers with Intel hardware from previous generations.

    Similar errors in the operation of Intel processors have occurred before - so, on October 19, 1994, the FDIV bugwas discovered in the original Pentium processor. An error in the module for floating point operations led to the fact that when dividing floating-point numbers using the FDIV processor command, the result could be incorrect. This problem had practically no effect on ordinary users working with a computer, but the fact that Intel knew about it, but did not plan to fix it just because of the small number of potentially affected users, provoked a serious scandal. As a result, the company had to announce the recall of defective processors and their replacement by working correctly.

    In addition, not so long ago, the media discussed the errors of hardware support for Transactional Synchronization Extensions, TSX) Haswell and Broadwell processors. In this case, instead of recalling faulty processors, the company simply turned off the TSX instructions using the microcode of the new firmware on the motherboard.

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