Chip giant Intel has identified the source of widespread instability issues that have affected its Core 13th and 14th Gen processors.
The company said on Monday that it is working on a patch for a microcode algorithm that is causing its desktop CPUs to experience "elevated operating voltage" and ultimately crash.
"Based on extensive analysis of Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors returned to us due to instability issues, we have determined that elevated operating voltage is causing instability issues in some 13th/14th Gen desktop processors," Intel communications manager Thomas Hannaford wrote on the company's forum.
"Our analysis of returned processors confirms that the elevated operating voltage is stemming from a microcode algorithm resulting in incorrect voltage requests to the processor."
Intel will have a microcode patch for motherboard manufacturers ready sometime in the middle of August. However, the company has suggested that anyone affected by the issue should contact its support teams.
The elevated operating voltage issue has been under investigation since April when Intel first confirmed reports that its Core i9-13900K and i9-14900K chips were frequently crashing. The chip giant has come under some pressure to resolve the issue, with previous attempts at a motherboard basic input/output system (BIOS) update unable to provide a fix.
What is a microcode and how can it be fixed?
A microcode is a low-level computing instruction that works between the CPU hardware and a machine's main code. It resides in a separate high-speed memory and functions as a transition layer that enables the computer's designer to create machine instructions without having to come up with extra electronic circuitry. It's the final part of code architecture; when source code is written, it's converted into machine instructions (machine code), and the machine instruction is boiled down into microinstructions (microcode). Essentially, microinstructions cause circuit transistors to open and close.
Microcode patches can be delivered via CPU firmware updates, which is what Intel had previously tried with the motherboard BIOS update. Here, a new microinstruction is sent to the micocoded instruction decode unit (IDU) to change the execution on the CPU.
