Lenovo has officially locked all AMD Chagall Ryzen Threadripper 5000 Pro CPUs running in its P620 workstation computers, according to @momomo us. As a result, the CPUs are only compatible with Lenovo’s pre-built systems. Lenovo has achieved this by utilising an AMD feature known as Platform Secure Boot, or PSB for short.
This functionality is included in all of AMD’s contemporary server and professional-grade chips, as well as the AMD secure processor. PSB is a robust anti-malware defence mechanism, according to STH, that prevents remote attackers from inserting malware into the device’s firmware.
PSB, on the other hand, serves as an anti-theft mechanism, preventing stolen CPUs from being used in other systems. This capability, however, is only effective if the thieves are not using systems from the same manufacturer.
PSB operates by using one-time-programmable fuses to effectively link the AMD CPU to the motherboard’s BIOS firmware code signing key. The procedure cannot be reversed once it has been completed.
Fortunately, PSB is an optional feature that isn’t necessary to run these CPUs, and they’re sent unlocked. Only when installed in PSB-enabled systems do the CPUs become locked. Lenovo, on the other hand, intends to employ this feature, therefore any P620 system with an AMD processor will be locked.
The Threadripper Pro 5000 is the successor to the Ryzen Threadripper 3000 series CPUs and will be available on March 21st. The new 5000 chips will be based on AMD’s current Zen 3 microarchitecture, which will provide each CCD a 19 percent IPC gain, faster clock speeds, and a unified L3 cache, reducing core to core communication time.
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