In its newly released 2024 Annual Product Security Report, Intel has for the first time systematically compared data with its competitors. The 62-page report reveals that AMD experiences 4.3 times more firmware vulnerabilities than Nvidia, while Nvidia accounts for 80 percent of AMD's GPU security issues.

The core focus of the report is Intel's self-assessment in comparison to its competitors. Intel claims its internal teams successfully identified 96 percent of new vulnerabilities and addressed 100 percent of hardware issues last year, showcasing robust internal security research capabilities. In stark contrast, Intel highlighted AMD's concerning number of firmware vulnerabilities, specifically in hardware root of trust and confidential computing technologies, where AMD's vulnerabilities were 4.4 and 1.8 times higher than Intel's, respectively.

Additionally, the report mentions that roughly 57 percent of AMD's current reported vulnerabilities were discovered by the company itself, with the remaining 43 percent uncovered by security researchers or the public. This indicates AMD's significant lag in vulnerability protection and response. Conversely, Intel proudly states that it has provided solutions for all supported SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) and addressed all hardware root of trust vulnerabilities, further asserting its leadership in security protection.

In the realm of GPUs, Intel also scrutinized Nvidia's performance. The report highlights that Nvidia reported 18 security vulnerabilities in 2024, all deemed high severity, with 13 capable of allowing a malicious actor to execute code on an affected PC. In comparison, Intel's GPUs reported only 10 vulnerabilities, with just one labeled as high severity, underscoring Intel's prowess in GPU security.

Nonetheless, industry analysts suggest that the report may involve selective disclosure, especially regarding competitors. Intel seems to seize every opportunity to emphasize the security shortcomings of AMD and Nvidia. While Intel stresses its security advantages, the stability controversy surrounding its 14th generation Core processors remains unresolved.

From a market standpoint, Intel's security confidence has yet to convert into commercial success. Intel's third-quarter earnings report indicated a 12% year-on-year decline in data center business revenue. In contrast, AMD has captured 38.6 percent of the server CPU market share, up 5.7 percentage points from the start of the year, thanks to the energy efficiency breakthroughs of its Zen5 architecture.

As the global semiconductor industry accelerates its pattern reconstruction, with factors like the rise of the RISC-V architecture, the AI chip customization wave, and geopolitical shifts in the supply chain, the dominance of the traditional x86 system is being challenged. In this context, security capabilities are emerging as a new battleground for major vendors to establish technical barriers. However, to translate security indicators into market advantages, bridging the gap from laboratory research to real-world application scenarios remains essential.