InformationWeek: Intel Sees A 32-Bit Hole In Itanium

[Kris Kennaway]

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=9300072

In a move to protect its investment in the 64-bit Itanium processor
family, Intel is working with operating-system makers to deliver a
software emulator for 32-bit apps. Intel, Microsoft, and several Linux
developers plan to make IA-32 Execution Layer available in the
operating-system software during the second half of this year.

IA-32 Execution Layer will take 32-bit code and convert it to 64-bit
code that the Itanium processor can run, an Intel spokeswoman
says. Intel expects the software to boost the performance of 32-bit
code running on Itanium to roughly equivalent to that of a 1.5-GHz
Xeon processor.

[...]

Is this something that FreeBSD can/should get involved with?

Kris
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