I think you can safely assume that you are
not cross-compiling whenever you use the Intel compiler - unless you do some magic. As far as I know, you can't rebuild the compiler and select another target, though perhaps there is some command line option for that. You can probably beat it into submission (like gcc) by passing a bunch of compile options to suppress the undesired behavior, though that's not really cross-compiling.
Unless you have a good reason for using this compiler, I'd recommend against using it because it's a
dead end. Unless you have some deal with Intel, you can't retarget the compiler and teach it what your OS is and you can't port it to your OS. This will create an artificial barrier against going self-hosting, which is certainly something to avoid. The fact that the compiler is not free software also means you might make things harder for potential contributors.
Personally, I'd recommend using GCC for osdev work unless you have a good reason not to.
@bwat: Dude, what the ****? It's always important to understand someone’s motivation when you are trying to help them.
