Intel has quietly deprecated its Software Defined Silicon initiative (SDSi), known as “Intel On Demand,” according to a report from Phoronix. The company has archived the official GitHub repository for SDSi for Xeon, an effort intended to enable optional features on Intel’s server processors that could be unlocked for an extra fee. Intel had hoped enterprises would pay to enable these features, but the initiative never gained mass traction and was only sporadically maintained. Because hyperscalers operate at massive scale, paying an additional fee to enable a feature on silicon they had already purchased made little sense, contributing to Intel’s decision to abandon the project. Subscription services are similar in concept, but they generally apply to software on a monthly…