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What instructions from an extended ISA are you referring to? The only ones I've seen written up have been:

1. Instructions to change the memory ordering mode, which allows Rosetta2 to skip some expensive memory fences when translating x86 binaries to ARM.

2. Some instructions for matrix math.

I wouldn't expect either of these to affect typical usage or battery life much, unless your workflow involves running things that do a ton of matrix math.



And the former isn't even an instruction, set a single bit in ACTLR_EL1 and off you go.

The second is an extension that talks to a coprocessor that's quite application specific. And that has an unstable ISA that changes every year. Probably not the biggest priority for anyone.


Well, four bits: in addition ACTLR_EL1_EnTSO to the kernel also sets ACTLR_EL1_EnAPFLG | ACTLR_EL1_EnAFP | ACTLR_EL1_EnPRSV, whatever those are.


Wow, I guess Torvalds himself must be wrong then:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/11/__trashed-6/


In that article, Torvalds specifically says:

"The main problem with the M1 for me is the GPU and other devices around it"

That's a separate issue than the ISA extensions, which apply to the ARM CPU.




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