When it comes to server efficiency, there are companies like Calxeda and SeaMicro — which was just acquired by AMD — that pack hundreds of low-power CPUs into servers that can handle massive workloads under relatively meager power requirements. But what about the standard, run of the mill box? It looks like Intel’s newest Xeons, […]
AMD snaps up SeaMicro
Can news be both surprising and unsurprising? Let’s start with the unsurprising part of the announcement that AMD is acquiring SeaMicro, which is that the startup has been taken off the market for a cool $334 million. Since it unstealthed in June 2010, the company has attracted customers like Google and Mozilla with a dense, […]
ZT Systems get in on the ARM server fun
The ARM-based server buzz continues this week with an announcement from Secaucus, NJ-based ZT Systems. The server and PC maker unveiled the R1801e, a 1U unit with up to 16 ARM Cortex-A9 processor cores that operates at a mere 80 watts. That includes eight server modules, storage in the form of eight SSDs and dual […]
Smooth-Stone’s now Calxeda, ARM servers by 2011?
Good-bye Smooth-Stone, hello Calxeda (pronounced “Cal-Zeh-Dah”). The startup, which specializes in server designs using ARM’s low-power processor technology, is not only undergoing a name change, new staffing developments point to a company that’s gearing up to take on server vendors that have made their fortunes on Intel’s and AMD’s x86 processors. Earlier this summer, the […]
Yahoo eyes tighter control over server fans
One of the ways Yahoo saves energy in its data centers is by keeping the temperature a rather balmy 75 degrees F in the data center. (Most data centers keep their AC’s cranking year-round to keep temps much cooler, dipping well into the 60’s.) The servers can handle it — and it saves a bunch […]
Gartner: Most big, new data centers to adopt PUE
By 2015, according to Gartner, 80 percent of new large data centers will be the using the power usage effectiveness (PUE) measurement devised by The Grid Grid to report on the efficiency of their operations. PUE is not perfect, and there are efforts underway to support and develop measurements that provide insight into the useful […]
Dawn of the liquid-cooled, overclocked data centers?
Overclocking processors is a common enough tweak for computer enthusiasts. Not so much in the data center, though. Why? First, no sysadmin will risk a server’s stability or voiding the warranty on an expensive piece of hardware. Also, why put added strain on a facility’s cooling systems? Enter liquid cooling. Submerging computer hardware into inert […]
