Intel patents IA-64 software

Intel Corp. has submitted patent claims on over 20 aspects of its IA-64 architecture, which includes the Itanium and the forthcoming McKinley. The claims expand on previous Intel patents by seeking protection of software instructions and the functions they perform. While analysts believe the purpose of the patents is to prevent cloning of the IA-64 architecture, rather than to facilitate licensing, the patents reflect the increasing importance of software in chip design as well as an expansion of Intel's efforts to lock up its intellectual property.

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