Some Intel processors are sold with some features "locked", that can later be unlocked after payment.
Note that this is not unique to Intel. Some models of IBM's System 370mainframe computer had additional hardware included, that if the customer paid the additional charge, IBM would send out a service engineer to enable it, typically by cutting a resistor in the machine.
Intel Insider
Intel Insider, a technology that provides a "protected path" for digital content, can be considered a form of DRM.
The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI, pronounced as an initialism U-E-F-I or like "unify" without the n) is a specification that defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware. UEFI replaces the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware interface originally present in all IBM PC-compatiblepersonal computers, with most UEFI firmware implementations providing legacy support for BIOS services. UEFI can support remote diagnostics and repair of computers, even with no operating system installed.
Intel developed the original Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) specification. Some of the EFI's practices and data formats mirror those from Microsoft Windows. In 2005, UEFI deprecated EFI 1.10 (the final release of EFI). The Unified EFI Forum is the industry body that manages the UEFI specification.
History
The original motivation for EFI came during early development of the first Intel–HP Itanium systems in the mid-1990s. BIOS limitations (such as 16-bit processor mode, 1MB addressable space and PC AT hardware) had become too restrictive for the larger server platforms Itanium was targeting. The effort to address these concerns began in 1998 and was initially called Intel Boot Initiative; it was later renamed to EFI.
The minimum requirements are a 64-bit processor of at least 1GHz, 4 GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, UEFI with support for Secure Boot (though it doesn’t have to be enabled), TPM2.0, a screen with at least 720p resolution, and an internet connection.
