Following widespread reports of crashes and instability in Intel’s 13th and 14th Gen chips, the company says a software bug is responsible, not a design defect.

Intel has faced criticism for ongoing issues with its 13th/14th Gen processors, with some concluding the issues stemmed from a critical design defect, over-tuning the chips, or some other issue. In a forum post, an employee said the company had determined the cause, blaming a microcode algorithm that is causing the chips to run at the wrong voltage.

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

The company will address the issue in a microcode patch:

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

Intel is committed to making this right with our customers, and we continue asking any customers currently experiencing instability issues on their Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance.

The revelation is good news for Intel customers.