2025-10-08 –, Main
Building on our previous discourse on CSP server firmware requirements at OSFC 2024 in Bochum, Germany, this talk presents a transformative vision for cloud system firmware frameworks and efficiency. With cloud servers functioning as specialized embedded systems in controlled data center environments, we're witnessing a paradigm shift in firmware architecture priorities – where security and operational efficiency supersede traditional expandability concerns.
The successful deployment of an open source firmware solution in a major CSP environment in 2024 has validated the possibility of pursuing a smaller and simpler codebase for CSP servers. Combined with technologies like Intel FSP and AMD OpenSIL, we're entering an era of unprecedented flexibility in firmware framework choices. Drawing from AWS's extensive experience, we are exploring an architecture that effectively segregates silicon vendor, ODM, and CSP components while maintaining robust security boundaries.
We'll present a novel vision to creating a hardware-agnostic firmware stack that enhances security, maintainability, and enables differentiated cloud services. Additionally, we'll examine the emerging role of AI in accelerating firmware development and validation – a potential game-changer for the industry.
This forward-looking session will conclude by setting the stage for next year's deeper exploration of AI-driven firmware innovation, inviting the community to collaborate in shaping the future of cloud infrastructure firmware.
Jiming Sun is a distinguished firmware architect with over three decades of experience shaping the evolution of system firmware across the computing industry. After earning his Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, he began his career developing firmware for AT&T's transmission systems before specializing in BIOS development at Zenith Data Systems.
During his extensive 15-year tenure at Intel, punctuated by strategic roles at leading technology companies during the dot-com era, Jiming made significant contributions to the industry. He was instrumental in the creation of Tiano/UEFI, which revolutionized the firmware interface standard. At AMD, he led the development team that created AGESA (AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture), a crucial foundation for AMD platform initialization. Later, during his time in Intel's Internet of Things Group (IOTG), he architected the Intel Firmware Support Package (FSP), significantly simplifying Intel CPU adoption for embedded systems developers.
Jiming's career path includes influential positions at industry leaders including Insyde, Dell, and Apple, where he consistently drove innovation in firmware architecture and implementation. Since joining Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2018, he has led the BIOS development team in creating AWS's custom BIOS solution based on open-source EDK2. Currently, he focuses on advancing firmware security and efficiency for AWS server infrastructure, continuously exploring and evaluating emerging firmware solutions to enhance cloud computing capabilities.
Throughout his career, Jiming has been at the forefront of major transitions in system firmware architecture, from legacy BIOS to UEFI, and now to cloud-optimized solutions, making him a respected voice in the firmware community.
