diff --git a/.github/workflows/coverity-scan.yml b/.github/workflows/coverity-scan.yml
index a2c311f9c..6fcb4e5ef 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/coverity-scan.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/coverity-scan.yml
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ jobs:
           tar xzf cov-analysis-linux64.tar.gz --strip 1 -C cov-analysis-linux64
         env:
           TOKEN: ${{ secrets.COVERITY_SCAN_TOKEN }}
-  
+
       # ideally we should've used meson and ninja here but it complains about coverage or something
-      - run: cov-analysis-linux64/bin/cov-build --dir cov-int clang src/hb-*.cc -DHAVE_FREETYPE -DHAVE_GRAPHITE2 -DHAVE_GLIB -DHAVE_ICU `pkg-config --cflags freetype2 graphite2 glib-2.0 icu-uc` -DHAVE_INTEL_ATOMIC_PRIMITIVES -DHAVE_ROUNDF -DHAVE_SYS_MMAN_H -DHAVE_UNISTD_H -DHAVE_GETPAGESIZE -DHB_EXPERIMENTAL_API -c
+      - run: cov-analysis-linux64/bin/cov-build --dir cov-int clang src/hb-*.cc -DHAVE_FREETYPE -DHAVE_GRAPHITE2 -DHAVE_GLIB -DHAVE_ICU `pkg-config --cflags freetype2 graphite2 glib-2.0 icu-uc` -DHAVE_ROUNDF -DHAVE_SYS_MMAN_H -DHAVE_UNISTD_H -DHAVE_GETPAGESIZE -DHB_EXPERIMENTAL_API -c
 
       - run: tar czvf harfbuzz.tgz cov-int
-        
+
       - name: submit to coverity
         run: |
           curl \
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 11118595f..9c290ff12 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -407,20 +407,6 @@ if (HB_HAVE_GOBJECT)
 endif ()
 
 ## Atomic ops availability detection
-file(WRITE "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/try_compile_intel_atomic_primitives.c"
-"		void memory_barrier (void) { __sync_synchronize (); }
-		int atomic_add (int *i) { return __sync_fetch_and_add (i, 1); }
-		int mutex_trylock (int *m) { return __sync_lock_test_and_set (m, 1); }
-		void mutex_unlock (int *m) { __sync_lock_release (m); }
-		int main () { return 0; }
-")
-try_compile(HB_HAVE_INTEL_ATOMIC_PRIMITIVES
-  ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/try_compile_intel_atomic_primitives
-  ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/try_compile_intel_atomic_primitives.c)
-if (HB_HAVE_INTEL_ATOMIC_PRIMITIVES)
-  add_definitions(-DHAVE_INTEL_ATOMIC_PRIMITIVES)
-endif ()
-
 file(WRITE "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/try_compile_solaris_atomic_ops.c"
 "		#include <atomic.h>
 		/* This requires Solaris Studio 12.2 or newer: */
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index de22f5185..eeb9a5090 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -417,22 +417,6 @@ AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_CORETEXT, $have_coretext)
 
 dnl ===========================================================================
 
-AC_CACHE_CHECK([for Intel atomic primitives], hb_cv_have_intel_atomic_primitives, [
-	hb_cv_have_intel_atomic_primitives=false
-	AC_TRY_LINK([
-		void memory_barrier (void) { __sync_synchronize (); }
-		int atomic_add (int *i) { return __sync_fetch_and_add (i, 1); }
-		int mutex_trylock (int *m) { return __sync_lock_test_and_set (m, 1); }
-		void mutex_unlock (int *m) { __sync_lock_release (m); }
-		], [], hb_cv_have_intel_atomic_primitives=true
-	)
-])
-if $hb_cv_have_intel_atomic_primitives; then
-	AC_DEFINE(HAVE_INTEL_ATOMIC_PRIMITIVES, 1, [Have Intel __sync_* atomic primitives])
-fi
-
-dnl ===========================================================================
-
 AC_CACHE_CHECK([for Solaris atomic operations], hb_cv_have_solaris_atomic_ops, [
 	hb_cv_have_solaris_atomic_ops=false
 	AC_TRY_LINK([
diff --git a/meson-cc-tests/intel-atomic-primitives-test.c b/meson-cc-tests/intel-atomic-primitives-test.c
deleted file mode 100644
index a5c804091..000000000
--- a/meson-cc-tests/intel-atomic-primitives-test.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-void memory_barrier (void) { __sync_synchronize (); }
-int atomic_add (int *i) { return __sync_fetch_and_add (i, 1); }
-int mutex_trylock (int *m) { return __sync_lock_test_and_set (m, 1); }
-void mutex_unlock (int *m) { __sync_lock_release (m); }
-
-int main(void) { return 0;}
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 71073e26e..343c06bf3 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -334,10 +334,6 @@ foreach check : check_funcs
   endif
 endforeach
 
-if cpp.links(files('meson-cc-tests/intel-atomic-primitives-test.c'), name: 'Intel atomics')
-  conf.set('HAVE_INTEL_ATOMIC_PRIMITIVES', 1)
-endif
-
 if cpp.links(files('meson-cc-tests/solaris-atomic-operations.c'), name: 'Solaris atomic ops')
   conf.set('HAVE_SOLARIS_ATOMIC_OPS', 1)
 endif
diff --git a/src/hb-atomic.hh b/src/hb-atomic.hh
index b3fb296b4..60717c236 100644
--- a/src/hb-atomic.hh
+++ b/src/hb-atomic.hh
@@ -123,15 +123,6 @@ static_assert ((sizeof (LONG) == sizeof (int)), "");
 #define hb_atomic_ptr_impl_cmpexch(P,O,N)	(InterlockedCompareExchangePointer ((P), (N), (O)) == (O))
 
 
-#elif !defined(HB_NO_MT) && defined(HAVE_INTEL_ATOMIC_PRIMITIVES)
-
-#define _hb_memory_barrier()			__sync_synchronize ()
-
-#define hb_atomic_int_impl_add(AI, V)		__sync_fetch_and_add ((AI), (V))
-
-#define hb_atomic_ptr_impl_cmpexch(P,O,N)	__sync_bool_compare_and_swap ((P), (O), (N))
-
-
 #elif !defined(HB_NO_MT) && defined(HAVE_SOLARIS_ATOMIC_OPS)
 
 #include <atomic.h>