October 19th， according to MyDrivers.com， the x86 processor market has long been dominated by Intel and AMD， accounting for approximately 99% of all processors. However， a recent discovery within the Linux kernel has revealed an as-yet-unidentified x86 processor， sparking considerable interest and speculation among developers.
The discovery was made by Christian Ludloff， a seasoned x86 architecture expert with extensive experience working at companies like Google， AMD， and TI. His deep expertise makes his finding particularly noteworthy. He identified an x86 processor employing an operation code labeled simply as “opcode” within the Linux kernel’s code. This identifier is not associated with either AMD or Intel， confirming its distinct origin.
The identity of this mysterious x86 chip is the subject of much debate. One prominent theory suggests it could be a new x86 offering from the Chinese company Zhaoxin. Zhaoxin released their KH-5000 processor last year， but it’s unclear if this new discovery pertains to a future or experimental product. While Zhaoxin has a history of active engagement with the open-source community and has not typically concealed their product developments， the cryptic nature of this find has led to such speculation.
Another strong contender is Hygon， a Chinese company that recently garnered international attention for showcasing a 128-core x86 processor. Given Hygon’s established presence and recent technological advancements， they are considered a plausible source for this unknown chip.
Further strengthening the suspicion of a Chinese origin， both AMD and Hygon have previously collaborated on releasing localized versions of EPYC processors. Similarly， Intel has partnered with China’s Accelent Technology to produce customized Xeon processors. These established collaborations open the possibility that the mysterious x86 chip could stem from one of these joint ventures.
Beyond these more prominent possibilities， less likely but still considered suspects include companies like DM&P Electronics. This company has produced 32-bit x86 processors in the past， though these are considered quite old and likely lack the licensing for modern instruction sets， making their involvement improbable for a current-generation discovery.
If the processor doesn’t originate from any of the aforementioned companies， more audacious theories are being put forth. For instance， some speculate a potential collaboration between Intel and NVIDIA for an x86 processor. However， previous indications suggested such a joint development， particularly for an x86 SoC， was not expected until much later， around 2027， making this a less probable scenario for a currently discovered chip.
An alternative explanation gaining traction is that this “x86 processor” might not be a physical chip at all， but rather an emulation. This is not uncommon in the industry; for example， Qualcomm’s ARM chips are capable of emulating x86 architecture. Similarly， Russia’s Elbrus processors also support x86 binary emulation.
This possibility also brings another Chinese contender into focus: Loongson. Although Loongson has transitioned to its own proprietary instruction set architecture， it also possesses x86 emulation capabilities. Consequently， the probability of this discovery originating from Loongson is considered higher than that of some other potential candidates.
