What does MIC stand for?
| Full form | Many Integrated Core |
|---|---|
| Category | Technology & computing |
| Type | Initialism |
The initialism MIC stands for Many Integrated Core in Intel computing terminology. It names an architecture associated with highly parallel computing, rather than a microphone input or a Windows permission rule.
Architecture, product model and host computer are useful distinctions when reading an older MIC document. Intel announced product plans using the Many Integrated Core name on 31 May 2010; that release describes its plans at the time, not present-day availability. The Linux kernel 5.7 documentation gives a more specific example: an Intel MIC X100 device is a PCIe add-in coprocessor card, with a host operating system and a card operating system in separate roles. Do not turn that X100 description into a claim about every product ever associated with the architecture. In a fictional inventory, a row naming an X100 card and a second row naming its host are two components of the setup. A note saying that the host driver loaded is not a benchmark result for the card. To summarize an MIC system usefully, retain the dated documentation, product model and component whose activity was observed. Neither the architecture name nor a historical product announcement supplies a measured speedup for a new workload. In the X100 reference, the card operating system and host operating system are separately named. A card-side OS event should therefore keep that role when a log supplies it.
Meaning in context
- Many Integrated Core
- Intel’s documented architecture name.
- X100 example
- The versioned Linux reference describes a coprocessor card and its separate host-side components.
Practical examples
Name the observed component
- Before
Invented X100 log: host driver loaded; no card workload timing recorded. Draft: The MIC card has completed the workload faster.
- After
The host driver loaded in this fictional X100 log; no workload completion or timing result is supplied.
The observation belongs to the host driver, and the missing timing cannot be manufactured from the architecture name.
Keep an announcement in time
- Before
Draft: Intel’s 31 May 2010 product-plan release is proof that the described products are available today.
- After
The release documents Intel’s MIC product plans on 31 May 2010.
The date and future-facing language bound what an announcement establishes.
Original illustrative examples, not quotations or reports of actual events.
Architecture, card or host?
Am I describing the MIC architecture, a particular coprocessor card or its host system?
See all guidance
Read a hardware description
Separate architecture from the named product.
This record describes an MIC X100 coprocessor card.
Read a log
Name the host-side or card-side component that produced the event.
The host driver loaded; no card workload result is supplied.
Write historical context
Keep the publication date and announcement status.
Intel announced MIC product plans in May 2010.
Retain the architecture name, product model, document version and host/card role instead of inferring compatibility or performance from MIC alone.
Documented origin and history
Intel’s31 May 2010 release documents the Many Integrated Core name in its product plans.
This dated announcement is not proof of the first-ever use of MIC, current product availability or measured performance for another workload.
Intel announces MIC product plans
Help improve this entry
Spot a mistake or have a clearer example? Suggest a change.
By AcronymIndex Editorial Team · Editorial policy