Instead, Hewlett-Packard created a design called the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI).

They decided that it made no sense to include an 8088 16-bit real mode processor or emulation in this new design just to support BIOS. In the late 1990s, Intel and Hewlett-Packard developed a new 64-bit processor chip using a new architecture. This limitation forced the I/O functionality to be used mainly in major hardware failure emergencies to communicate basic error messages to end-users. This evolution pushed BIOS into a niche where it started the system boot process but did little else because it was limited by its requirement to start the CPU in Intel processor 16-bit real mode. Over the years, the traditional BIOS adapted to support new processor features, increased memory, and additional devices. Shortly after, Phoenix Technologies developed another version of BIOS compatible with the IBM PC BIOS and licensed it to clone computer makers. Shortly after IBM’s system was announced, other manufacturers wanted to create “clone” PCs that were compatible with the IBM PC - but IBM held its BIOS closely and didn’t allow clone makers access. It was called the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS).

IBM created a small (2kB) program placed in the system read-only memory (ROM) and written in the processor’s native assembly language to provide these functions. These PCs needed a way to initialize the hardware, check memory, boot the system, and provide basic input/output (I/O) functionality to operating systems and application programs.

In the late 1970s, IBM began developing personal computers (PCs) for business. Interested in learning more about firmware security?ĭownload our eBook: Firmware Is Foundational: Security in the Age of Edge Computing

Firm ware