AMIBIOS 9 (09.00.xx) is a possible version of AMIBIOS referenced to in some versions of the vmvp.exe file in Microsoft Windows used for Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization software. As of July 2023, this file is the only known reference to a possible version 9 of AMIBIOS.
The reference
The strings AMIBIOS(C)2001 American Megatrends, Inc. BIOS Date: 05/23/12 17:15:53 Ver: 09.00.06, AMIBIOS 090006 and AMIBIOSC0900 can be found in version 6.3.9600.19388 (or winblue_ltsb.190518-0600) of the vmvp.exe file on Microsoft Windows. Although the file is present in Windows 7 Service Pack 1 according to the Hybrid Analysis website[1], judging by the version of the file it must've been first introduced in Windows 8.1 Enterprise Edition instead (as 9600 is the build number for Windows 8.1 and winblue is the codename for it, while ltsb indicates Enterprise Edition). So it's possible the file was first released for Windows 8.1, but was later released for Windows 7 and probably Windows 8 via updates.
The first string indicates a version 09.00.06 of AMIBIOS with 2001 copyright compiled at 17:15:53 local time on May 23, 2012.
Theories
As of July 2023, no known physical motherboard or other system specifically mentioning AMIBIOS 9 exists. So the theories are based ONLY on the found strings for the vmvp.exe file.
Possible theories regarding what AMIBIOS 9 might be are below:
- It might be a fork or special version of AMIBIOS 8 used only by Microsoft for Hyper-V. The strings mention a copyright year of 2001, same year as the instance of AMIBIOS 8 on Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (which is based on 08.00.02, a very early version of AMIBIOS 8). 2001 was also when retail version of AMIBIOS 8 was first released.
- It might also be the internal name given to the emulated BIOS in CSM boot mode of AMI Aptio. CSM actually emulates a full BIOS inside the UEFI firmware to provide full legacy BIOS compatibility. It is possible that Hyper-V uses a version of AMI Aptio for virtualization and the strings are from the emulated BIOS file of Aptio.
It is very unlikely AMIBIOS 9 was ever sold as a standalone commercial release by AMI due to existence of AMIBIOS 8 cores as late as 2012 for personal computers, and 2020 for industrial legacy hardware (latter is mostly for BIOSes for the Vortex86 SoC, a heavily modified core based on the Intel 486 design).