Intel has opened PSE block firmware code for ELKHART LAKE chips

Intel Opened Firmware source texts for block PSE (Programmable Services Engine), which began to be supplied in the ELKHART LAKE processors, such As ATOM X6000E optimized for use in the Internet devices. The code is open under the APACHE 2.0 license.

PSE is an additional processor kernel ARM Cortex-M7 , working in low-power mode. PSE can be used to perform the functionality of an embedded controller, data processing from sensors, organization of remote control, network operations and separate implementation of specialized tasks.

Initially, this kernel was controlled by closed firmware, which prevented the implementation of support for chips with PSE in open projects such as Coreboot. In particular, discontent caused the lack of information on low-level PSE management and safety concerns, due to the impossibility of checking the actions of the firmware, which is the similarity of the operating system for PSE. At the end of last year, CoreBoot project developers have published Open Letter to Intel with a call to open the PSE firmware code, and, ultimately, the company listened to the community needs.

In addition to the firmware code based on RTOS Zephyr, the source tests of utilities for developers and application examples that can be executed on the PSE side, the firmware Eclite with the implementation of the functionality of an embedded controller, reference implementation OOB control interface (out-of-band) and Framework To develop applications.

/Media reports.