Intel fixes bug that causes Skylake chip to freeze when calculating prime numbers

Intel admits there is a bug in its Skylake processors that could cause the processor to crash. The company plans to release a BIOS update that will fix the issue. The problem only occurs when calculating certain prime numbers.

Intel has announced in a response to its forum that they are aware of the bug and that a fix is ​​already in place. The company is in the process of delivering this solution to motherboard makers. These can then bring the solution to all users of Skylake processors via a bios update. For now, Intel advises users to contact the motherboard vendors if a system is affected by the bug.

The bug was discovered by users of Prime95, a program developed by the Mersenne Research group. The program is used to find new Mersenne primes. Mersenne primes are used for random number generators and in cryptography, among other things. The bug occurs when Prime95 is used to test the number 14942209. Under the pressure, the computer system crashes on its own. It is possible that the bug can also occur in other situations, but only the Prime95 method managed to show it repeatedly. The BIOS update should fix the problem.