The issue has been causing crashes and blue screens, and the chipmaker has now announced that it knows what is causing the problem. Having determined that “elevated operating voltage stemming from a microcode algorithm” is causing incorrect voltage requests to CPUs, Intel is ready to issue a micropatch.

This micropatch will be delivered as a BIOS update, and it is not expected to have any adverse performance side effects. The company has already implemented a program to replace processors that have been harmed by the problem.

This program will continue to run as the upcoming patch will only prevent impairment to affected but as-yet-undamaged chips. Intel employee Thomas Hannaford explained the latest findings and upcoming plans on the Intel Support Community forums.

Based on extensive analysis of Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors returned due to instability issues, it has been determined that elevated operating voltage is causing instability in some of these processors. The analysis confirms that the elevated operating voltage is stemming from a microcode algorithm resulting in incorrect voltage requests to the processor.

Intel is delivering a microcode patch to address the root cause of the exposure to elevated voltages and is continuing validation to ensure that instability issues reported regarding its Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors are addressed. Intel is currently targeting mid-August for the patch release to partners following full validation.

Intel is committed to making this right with its customers and is encouraging any customers currently experiencing instability issues on their Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors to reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance. It is not recommended to overclock these chips at the moment, and this could still be the case even after the patch is released.

Tinkering with the power profile is off-limits for now, and this could continue.