GCC Developers Consider Dropping Itanium IA-64 Support in Version 16

The future of Intel’s Itanium IA-64 architecture in the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is once again in doubt. GCC developers are openly debating whether to finally drop support for this niche CPU family in the upcoming GCC 16 release.

This is not the first time the architecture has faced extinction in GCC. In fact, IA-64 support was already marked as deprecated in GCC 14, with plans to remove it completely in GCC 15. But in a surprising twist, a patch was introduced just before the release of GCC 15 that “un-deprecated” the architecture, keeping it alive for a little while longer. The developer behind that patch argued that Itanium still had a small but dedicated user base and could be supported for “some years to come.”

However, the situation has changed. GCC 16 discussions suggest that support may be dropped after all, largely because the IA-64 code has not been actively tested or maintained for over a year. Hardware for the architecture is rare, expensive, and difficult to find, while emulation remains slow and incomplete. Without dedicated maintainers, the cost of keeping the port functional in a large and evolving codebase like GCC is proving too high.

Why Itanium Is at Risk

Itanium IA-64 was once Intel’s ambitious bet on a new type of CPU architecture aimed at high-end enterprise servers. Launched in collaboration with HP, it was designed around the concept of Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC), which aimed to extract more performance through compiler optimization rather than faster clock speeds.

Unfortunately, the architecture struggled to gain wide adoption. It required software to be specifically compiled for IA-64, limiting compatibility with existing applications. While it found some use in enterprise environments, especially in HP’s Integrity server line, it never caught on with consumers or the broader computing world.

Now, decades after its introduction, Itanium has become a rare sight in data centers. Intel ended production of Itanium chips in 2021, and software support has been shrinking ever since. The Linux kernel dropped official IA-64 support in version 6.7, and popular distributions like Gentoo have recently removed IA-64 profiles altogether, citing the lack of upstream maintenance and minimal user demand.

In GCC’s case, the problem is simple: no one is actively maintaining the IA-64 port. Without regular testing, bug fixes, and updates, the code becomes harder to keep working alongside new features and improvements in the rest of GCC.

A Symbol of a Bygone Era

For many developers, the debate around IA-64 is not just about technical maintenance—it’s also a reminder of how quickly computing trends can shift. At one point, Itanium was positioned as the future of high-performance computing, a bold break from the x86 architecture that dominated desktops and servers.

But instead of replacing x86, Itanium became a niche platform that survived mainly in specialized enterprise systems. Its complexity, high cost, and lack of broad software support made it a hard sell in a world moving toward cheaper, more compatible hardware.

Even so, a small number of enthusiasts and archivists continue to care about IA-64. For them, losing GCC support would make it even harder to keep old Itanium systems running with modern compilers, potentially pushing the architecture closer to complete obscurity.

The Road Ahead for GCC 16

If GCC 16 drops IA-64 support, it would not be the first time a legacy architecture was removed from the compiler. Over the years, GCC has phased out many CPU targets that no longer have active maintainers or significant users. While it may be disappointing for those still using Itanium, the reality is that keeping dead or near-dead architectures in the codebase can slow development for everyone else.

Still, nothing is final yet. Discussions are ongoing, and there is always a chance that a volunteer maintainer could step forward to take over IA-64 support. But as history has shown, finding someone with the time, expertise, and motivation to maintain such an obscure platform is a tall order.

For now, GCC 15 remains one of the last major compiler versions with official IA-64 support. Users who still rely on Itanium may need to stick with it or look into alternative compilers if GCC 16 indeed removes the architecture.

Whether or not the removal happens in GCC 16, the writing is on the wall for IA-64. It is a reminder that even major, once-hyped technologies can fade away when the industry moves on.