AMD recently detailed its intention to replace the AGESA (AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture) firmware at the 2023 OCP Regional Summit in Prague. from AGESA openSIL (opens in new tab) (Open Source Silicon Initialization Library) on AMD server and client processors by 2026.
If you own an AMD processor, AGESA is an acronym you probably hear once every few months. Think of AGESA as a library of instructions that initialize various aspects of the platform, such as processor cores, chipsets, and memory. So every time a new AMD chip comes out or new formats of memory such as non-binary 24GB and 48GB DIMMs come out, AMD rolls out new AGESA firmware to start supporting the new hardware.
Firmware is an integral part of today’s systems and a target for cybercriminals. The downside is that the platform his users have limited access to inspect the firmware running on their system. That’s why AMD proposed to open the silicon initialization firmware architecture, development and verification to the open source community. Chip makers believe such a move is the right direction towards more secure firmware.
AMD has always supported the open source community, whether it’s software or drivers. AMD openSIL, unlike AGESA, is an open-source solution intended to be lightweight, simple, secure, and easy to scale. And it’s not limited to AMD silicon. AMD openSIL is open to other silicon vendors and invites them to participate in their ventures.
It is important to emphasize that AMD openSIL does not replace UEFI. Instead, it integrates with other host firmware such as coreboot, oreboot, FortiBIOS, Project µ. Additionally, AMD programmed openSIL in a standard industry language, allowing vendors to statically link it to their host firmware and bypass host firmware protocols.
“OCP is primarily focused on servers, so we don’t have a roadmap for clients. If you remember, we talked about scaling to both servers and clients. So, we plan to intercept all client and server platforms by 2026,” said Raj Kapoor, AMD Fellow and Chief Firmware Architect. AMD presentation (opens in new tab) At the 2023 OCP Regional Summit.
AMD openSIL is currently in the proof of concept (POC) stage, initially supporting AMD’s 4th generation EPYC (Genoa) processors and accompanying platforms. His EPYC (Turin) chip in the 5th generation will also be his POC. AMD will make openSIL his POR for the 6th Gen EPYC lineup in 2026.
“So the client arises. Is that your question? You bet. In 2026, all products. AGESA will reach the end of its life. openSIL will replace it.”
AMD acknowledged that openSIL still has a long way to go, but confirmed that openSIL is very close to parity with AGESA. However, AMD’s final roadmap shows Zen 5 for his 2024 and openSIL won’t be ready until his 2026. So I’m considering the Zen 6 or Zen 7 before seeing the finished product. Sadly, AMD did not share their projected roadmap for openSIL on the client side. But one thing is certain. AMD will eventually replace his AGESA in all products with openSIL.
