data centre | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 23 Nov 2023 10:44:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png data centre | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Nvidia records 206% Q3 revenue growth driven by AI and data centre https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/nvidia-records-206-q3-revenue-growth-driven-by-ai-and-data-centre/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/nvidia-records-206-q3-revenue-growth-driven-by-ai-and-data-centre/#respond Wed, 22 Nov 2023 14:30:04 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=638551 Nvidia has spent recent years establishing itself as a leader in the hardware market for AI acceleration. Those bets began paying off hugely with devices like the Nvidia H100 becoming hot sellers and the streak has not come to an end. Nvidia has now shared its Q3 earnings report, showing revenues have grown by a massive 206 percent compared to Q3 in the previous year. 

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Nvidia has spent recent years establishing itself as a leader in the hardware market for AI acceleration. Those bets began paying off hugely with devices like the Nvidia H100 becoming hot sellers and the streak has not come to an end. Nvidia has now shared its Q3 earnings report, showing revenues have grown by a massive 206 percent compared to Q3 in the previous year. 

Over the course of Q3, Nvidia made a record $18.12 billion in revenue, a 34 percent gain compared to Q2 this year, and a 206 percent gain compared to the same time period in the previous year. Data Center revenues have been particularly strong, generating $14.51 billion in revenue, a 279 percent gain compared to Q3 last year and up 41 percent compared to Q2 this year.

On the gaming side, Nvidia has made some strides too, with revenues hitting $2.86 billion for the quarter, up 81 percent compared to Q3 last year and up 15 percent compared to Q2 this year.

As we move into Q4, Nvidia does not expect to slow down, anticipating revenues of $20 billion, plus or minus two percent. Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, attributes Nvidia's growth to the AI boom, which is seeing platform holders across industries implementing their own AI solutions and moving more towards automation.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While the tech industry struggled over the pandemic due to supply chains shutting down, Nvidia appears to have put those days well behind them at this stage with significant yearly growth across the board in 2023. 

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Arctic unveils Freezer 4U-M for Intel and AMD-based servers https://www.kitguru.net/components/cooling/matthew-wilson/arctic-unveils-freezer-4u-m-for-intel-and-amd-based-servers/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cooling/matthew-wilson/arctic-unveils-freezer-4u-m-for-intel-and-amd-based-servers/#respond Thu, 05 Oct 2023 14:00:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=633061 The DIY audience knows Arctic well from decades of excellent CPU cooler launches. Today, Arctic is launching something for the server and data centre crowd – the new Freezer 4U-M. The Arctic Freezer 4U-M is the successor to the Freezer 4U SP3. Offering multi-socket support for Intel and AMD processors, a push-pull fan setup and …

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The DIY audience knows Arctic well from decades of excellent CPU cooler launches. Today, Arctic is launching something for the server and data centre crowd – the new Freezer 4U-M.

The Arctic Freezer 4U-M is the successor to the Freezer 4U SP3. Offering multi-socket support for Intel and AMD processors, a push-pull fan setup and an easy mounting system, the Freezer 4U-M looks to be a solid offering for server racks.

The cooler is compatible with Intel’s LGA4189 and LGA4677 sockets as well as AMD’s SP6, sTR5, SP3, TR4, sTRX4 and sWRX8 sockets. The heatsink offers 53mm of RAM clearance, so you'll have plenty of room for DIMMs. Overall, the cooler consumes just under 2.9W of power, making it highly efficient too.

The Arctic Freezer 4U-M is available starting today, priced at €53.99.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you looking for a new air cooler? Will you be leaning towards an Arctic model?

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Gigabyte’s Giga Computing unveils new Compute Nodes powered by EPYC Genoa https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/rosieclutson/gigabytes-giga-computing-unveils-new-compute-nodes-powered-by-epyc-genoa/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/rosieclutson/gigabytes-giga-computing-unveils-new-compute-nodes-powered-by-epyc-genoa/#respond Thu, 28 Sep 2023 14:44:09 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=632178 Many of us know Gigabyte for their PC components, peripherals and monitors but the company's subsidiary, Giga Computing, is also big in the server world. In October, Gigabyte's Giga Computing is exhibiting at the OCP Global Summit, showcasing new EPYC OCP V3 Compute Nodes. The new GIGABYTE OCP ORv3 products include a 2OU node tray, TO25-BT0 , …

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Many of us know Gigabyte for their PC components, peripherals and monitors but the company's subsidiary, Giga Computing, is also big in the server world. In October, Gigabyte's Giga Computing is exhibiting at the OCP Global Summit, showcasing new EPYC OCP V3 Compute Nodes.

The new GIGABYTE OCP ORv3 products include a 2OU node tray, TO25-BT0 , and AMD Genoa compute nodes: TO25-Z10 , TO25-Z11 , and TO25-Z12 . The new GPU server based on AMD Genoa, the TO15-Z40, offers immersion cooling server deployment with ORv3 specifications.

From entry-level computing to DevOps and to hybrid HPC / AI workloads using both CPU and GPU, the new AMD Genoa compute nodes offer optimised cooling for supporting CPUs at a TDP up to 400W, full height and full width PCIe slots for up to four double-width GPUs, space for up to 12X E1.S drives, 24 slots for DDR5 memory and the highest core count per socket with up to 128 physical cores and up to 1.15GB of L3 cache.

Giga Computing will offer a first look at its latest server hardware at the OCP Global Summit in San Jose from October 17th to the 19th.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Gigabyte continues to build up its presence in the server and data centre markets.

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Seagate launches Exos CORVAULT self-healing mass storage system https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/seagate-launches-exos-corvault-self-healing-mass-storage-system/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/seagate-launches-exos-corvault-self-healing-mass-storage-system/#respond Tue, 22 Jun 2021 13:13:16 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=520810 Seagate is looking to revamp mass-capacity storage this year with the launch of the Exos CORVAULT, a ‘self-healing', high-density storage system intended to streamline data management and reduce human intervention for macro edge and data centre environments. The Exos CORVAULT offers SAN-level performance using a breakthrough storage architecture that combines 6th Gen VelosCT ASIC, ADAPT …

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Seagate is looking to revamp mass-capacity storage this year with the launch of the Exos CORVAULT, a ‘self-healing', high-density storage system intended to streamline data management and reduce human intervention for macro edge and data centre environments.

The Exos CORVAULT offers SAN-level performance using a breakthrough storage architecture that combines 6th Gen VelosCT ASIC, ADAPT erasure code data protection and Autonomous Drive Regeneration. As a mass storage solution, reliability is key, so the Seagate Exos CORVAULT offers “five nines” reliability (99.999%) to deliver consistently high availability.

Using Auto Drive Regeneration (ADR), drives can self-correct without the need for a manual drive swap. This feature can return most drives to dependable service by reconfiguring the drive to bypass errant components, reducing the environmental impact of PC hardware waste.

Built using the Seagate Exos 4U106 12Gb/s platform, the maximum density 4U chassis can fit up to 106 drives in just seven inches of rack space. The chassis has protections against vibrations and acoustic interference, as well as protections for heat and power irregularities.

At the heart of the CORVAULT is the new VelosCT chip, which powers the dual storage controllers and optimises all drive actuators in parallel to deliver better performance.

The Seagate Exos CORVAULT will be available worldwide starting in July through Seagate's partnered distribution channels.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There are a lot of interesting features packed in here, many of which could help data centres waste fewer drives and save on costs.

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Kingston DC450R 3.84TB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-dc450r-3-84tb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-dc450r-3-84tb-ssd-review/#respond Mon, 08 Feb 2021 10:51:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=502197 We check out Kingston's DC450R SSD, aimed at the data-centre market

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Kingston's DC450R is part of the company's extensive Enterprise SSD range and has been designed for handling read-centric workloads in data centres. We review the 3.84TB model, priced around the £440 mark for UK buyers.

The DC450R is available in five capacities at the time of writing: 480GB, 960GB, 1.92TB, 3.84TB (the drive we are looking at here) and the massive 7.68TB flagship drive. At the heart of the drive is a Phison PS3112-S12DC controller which looks after 3D TLC NAND.

Sequential read performance is quoted as up to 560MB/s across the range. Sequential write performance varies with capacity. The entry-level 480GB is up to 510MB/s, the 960GB and 1.92TB models are up to 530MB/s, the 3.84TB drive up to 525MB/s with the 7.68TB model the slowest in the line-up at up to 504MB/s.

When it comes to 4K random read performance all the range bar one are rated as up to 99,000 IOPS, the exception being the 960GB model which is rated at up to 98,000 IOPS. Random writes are a bit of a mix. The 1.92TB drive has the fastest random write rating at up to 28,000 IOPS, while the slowest is the 480GB model at 17,000 IOPS. The 960GB and 3.84TB drives are both rated as up to 26,000 IOPS with the 7.68TB flagship rated at up to 19,000 IOPS.

Power consumption for the 3.84TB is stated as 1.48W for Max/Avr reads, 3.93W for average writes and 5.5W for maximum writes with an idle figure of 1.3W.

Endurance for the 3.84TB drive is quoted as 2,823TB which works out at 0.4 DWPD over the length of the 5-year warranty Kingston back the drive with.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 3.84TB.
  • NAND Components: 3D TLC NAND.
  • NAND Controller: Phison PS3112-S12DC.
  • Cache: DDR4-2666.
  • Interface: Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s (SATA III).
  • Form Factor: 2.5in, 7mm.
  • Dimensions: 69.9 x 100 x7mm.
  • Drive Weight: 92.3g

Firmware Version: SCEKH3.3.

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Kingston DC1000M 1.92TB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-dc1000m-1-92tb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-dc1000m-1-92tb-ssd-review/#respond Thu, 08 Oct 2020 10:26:23 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=483862 It's a data-centre or enterprise-class SSD from Kingston, priced at over £400

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The DC1000M is the latest addition to Kingston's data centre SSD portfolio. Designed for dealing with mixed-use workloads, such as high-performance cloud servicing, web hosting, high-resolution media capture and transport and virtualisation, it features a U.2 connector and uses a 16-channel controller combined with 3D TLC NAND.

This SSD is available in four capacities at the time of writing; 960GB, 1.92TB (the drive we are reviewing here), 3.84TB and the huge 7.68TB flagship drive make up the DC1000M range. The DC1000M uses a Silicon Motion SM2270 16-channel controller which looks after Kioxia BiCS3 64-layer 3D TLC NAND.

Sequential read performance is the same for all four drives-up to 3,100MB/s while Sequential writes vary with capacity. The 960GB is rated up to 1,330MB/s, the 1.92TB 2,600MB/s, 3.84TB 2,700MB/s and up to 2,800MB/s for the 7.68TB drive.

Random 4K performance is quoted as up to 400,000 IOPS / 125,000 IOPS for read and writes respectively for the 960GB drive, up to 540,000 IOPS reads and 205,000 IOPS writes for the 1.92TB drive. The 3.84TB and 7.68TB drives share the same 210,000 IOPS write figure with the 3.84TB drive having a faster read speed at 525,000 IOPS over the 485,000 IOPS of the flagship drive.

As far as power consumption is concerned the 1.92TB drive is rated at 5.22W idle, 5.31W average read with a maximum of 5.70W. Average writes are rated at 13.1W with a 13.92W maximum.

Endurance wise, Kingston rate the 1.92TB drive at 3362TBW which works out at 1 Drive Write Per Day (DWPD) over the 5-year length of the drive's warranty.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 1.92TB.
  • NAND Components: Kioxia BiCS3 64-layer 3D TLC.
  • NAND Controller: Silicon Motion SM2270.
  • Interface: U.2. PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4.
  • Form Factor: 2.5in, 15mm.
  • Dimensions: 100.09 x 69.84 x 14.75mm.
  • Drive Weight: 160g.

Firmware Version: S68F0120.

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Nvidia datacenter GPU sales are catching up to GeForce https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/christopher-nohall/nvidia-datacenter-gpu-sales-are-catching-up-to-geforce/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/christopher-nohall/nvidia-datacenter-gpu-sales-are-catching-up-to-geforce/#respond Fri, 31 Jul 2020 16:13:42 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=479642 Nvidia is seeing a rising demand for its A100 GPUs – mainly from datacenter businesses such as Amazon (AWS), Baidu and Microsoft. The revenues from datacenter solutions have grown to the extent that they are reported to be “close to those from gaming”. Nvidia is probably best known for its graphics cards designed to deliver …

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Nvidia is seeing a rising demand for its A100 GPUs – mainly from datacenter businesses such as Amazon (AWS), Baidu and Microsoft. The revenues from datacenter solutions have grown to the extent that they are reported to be “close to those from gaming”.

Nvidia is probably best known for its graphics cards designed to deliver good gaming performance. However, the company also offers GPUs for datacenters and since the company announced its Ampere A100 GPU in May of this year, the card has quickly picked up in popularity and found its way into different applications, such as the European supercomputer Atos.

Image credit: Nvidia

As reported by DigiTimes, Nvidia has revealed a revenue of $3.08 billion for its previous fiscal quarter – with gaming generating $1.34 billion and datacenter solutions contributing $1.14 billion. Nvidia's perhaps most popular card for datacenters, the A100 GPU, is built using 7nm manufacturing technology and has 54 billion transistors.

KitGuru Says: Nvidia has been pushing datacenters and supercomputing for a while now, so it was only a matter of time before we saw revenues creep up to GeForce levels. 

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Kingston begins shipping 7.68 TB data centre SSDs https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/james-dawson/kingston-begins-shipping-7-68-tb-data-centre-ssds/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/james-dawson/kingston-begins-shipping-7-68-tb-data-centre-ssds/#respond Sat, 30 May 2020 13:51:44 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=469829 Kingston has announced plans to begin shipping of its DC1000M 7.68TB U.2 NVMe in June, while the 7.68 TB 500R data centre and DC450R SATA SSDs are available now. Both new SSD series are designed to provide additional storage while implementing strict QoS to ensure predictable I/O and low latency for data centres deploying both …

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Kingston has announced plans to begin shipping of its DC1000M 7.68TB U.2 NVMe in June, while the 7.68 TB 500R data centre and DC450R SATA SSDs are available now. Both new SSD series are designed to provide additional storage while implementing strict QoS to ensure predictable I/O and low latency for data centres deploying both SATA and NVMe.

The DC500R 7.68 TB SSD from Kingston is a VMWare Ready SSD designed for read-intensive applications such as virtual desktop infrastructure, webservers and real-time analytics. With low latency and read/write speeds of up to 555 MB/s and 520 MB/s respectively, to ensure reliable, high performance that data centres can deploy with confidence.

DC450R SSDs are also focused on read-intensive applications and optimised for data centres looking for a cost-effective option without write-intensive specifications. This series is ideal for content delivery, software-defined storage architectures and edge computing, with sequential read/write speeds of up to 560MBs/504MBs and Steady-State 4k read/write of up to 99,000/19,000 IOPS with a 2 million-hour MTBF lifespan.

Kingston’s DC1000M is a hot-pluggable U.2 2.5-inch form factor SSD that allows for easy integration with the latest generation of servers and storage arrays equipped with PCIe and U.2 backplanes. DC1000M is an enterprise-grade SSD with features including power loss and end-to-end path protection, as well as telemetry monitoring to ensure increased data reliability. The 7.68 TB version shipping in June is capable of sequential read/write speeds of up to 3,100MBs/2800MBs and Steady-state 4k read/write of up to 485,000/210,000 IOPS.

For more information about Kingston SSDs for data centres and where to buy, head over to the official Kingston pages.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Kingston enterprise SSDs are designed to offer reliable and affordable data storage for data centre applications. What do you guys think of these new 7.68 TB versions that are available now?

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Gigabyte and Incooling create new class of phase-change server cooling https://www.kitguru.net/components/cooling/james-dawson/gigabyte-and-incooling-create-new-class-of-phase-change-server-cooling/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cooling/james-dawson/gigabyte-and-incooling-create-new-class-of-phase-change-server-cooling/#respond Mon, 20 Jan 2020 09:07:57 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=447712 Gigabyte has announced a new partnership with cooling specialists Incooling to design a prototype model for a new class of two-phase liquid cooling solution...

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With every new generation of CPUs comes an increase in performance, in recent years the number of cores in each processor has increased rapidly which in turn drive up TDP. This increase in CPU TDP ratings means conventional air cooling becomes less effective, so manufacturers of high-performance systems are looking for innovative new ways of keeping processor temperature under control.

Gigabyte has announced a new partnership with cooling specialists Incooling to design a prototype model for a new class of two-phase liquid cooling solution for overclockable servers used in the high-frequency trading market. Gigabyte has provided its overclockable R161 series server platform as a testbed for Incooling to work with.

“We are always looking into new cooling technologies that help our customers push the boundaries of performance and efficiency in their data centres. Incooling offers a unique solution, different from others in the market place, and we are looking forward to working with them to see what new possibilities we can achieve using our servers together with their cutting edge two-phase cooling technology” said Mike Chang, Thermal R&D Manager at Gigabyte.

The cooling system that Incooling is working on will be capable of pushing temperatures way below what’s possible from traditional data centre air cooling systems. This is done by leveraging special refrigerants and using a phase-change solution inside a pressure-controlled loop. This method is highly efficient and exchanges heat from the processor with the air in the data centre.

Initial tests of this cooling solution on the Gigabyte R161 server has shown up to 20°C lower core temperatures, which means performance can be pushed even further and contributes up to a 10% increase in CPU clock speed while lowering overall power draw by 200 watts. The partnership will continue its R&D efforts to push these boundaries even further, Incooling is planning on adopting this cooling technology to other Gigabyte server systems in the future.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Traditional cooling solutions are becoming less efficient in cooling high-performance processors these days, so this design from Incooling will be a welcomed change if performance figures and temperatures in testing are transferred to real-world scenarios. What do you guys think of this new phase-change cooling design from Incooling and Gigabyte?  

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Western Digital launch world’s first 20TB SMR HDD https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/james-dawson/western-digital-launch-worlds-first-20tb-smr-hdd/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/james-dawson/western-digital-launch-worlds-first-20tb-smr-hdd/#respond Tue, 24 Dec 2019 10:00:49 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=443627 Western Digital has announced it is shipping new HDD samples to enterprise OEMs and hyperscale customers worldwide. The new devices are the industry’s highest capacity HDDs featuring up to a huge 20TB capacity in SMR form. First announced in September 2019, the new high-capacity HDDs from Western digital include the 20 TB Ultrastar DC HC650 …

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Western Digital has announced it is shipping new HDD samples to enterprise OEMs and hyperscale customers worldwide. The new devices are the industry’s highest capacity HDDs featuring up to a huge 20TB capacity in SMR form.

First announced in September 2019, the new high-capacity HDDs from Western digital include the 20 TB Ultrastar DC HC650 SMR and 18 TB Ultrastar DC HC550 CMR and utilise the company’s first implementation of energy-assisted magnetic recording on a nine disk platform to enable more efficient provision and scale of data centre environments with unmatched total cost.

With data growth reaching a zettabyte scale, high capacity enterprise HDDs are the way to efficiently store data across a broad spectrum of applications. Western Digital’s new 18TB and 20TB Ultrastar HDD’s enable customers to deploy as many as 22% fewer racks and reduce TCO by up to 11%. This also means a reduction in power consumption, cooling costs and a reduction in data centre infrastructure when compared with today’s 14TB CMR HDDs.

Western Digital’s use of innovative energy-assisted magnetic recording, together with the company’s HeliosSeal and SMR technology means the new Ultrastar HDDs achieve the industry’s highest areal density performance and a dramatic gain in drive capacity.

“Delivering samples of our Ultrastar 20 TB SMR and 18 TB CMR HDDs marks a significant milestone for Western Digital—demonstrating our enduring commitment to the open SMR-based ecosystem, as well as our strong track record of innovation to provide great value for our customers,” said Phil Bullinger, senior vice president and general manager of Western Digital's Data Center Business Unit.

Western Digital has started sampling the 20 TB Ultrastar DC HC650 SMR and 18 TB DC HC550 CMR HDDs, with volume shipments expected to begin in the first half of 2020.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: New 18 and 20 TB drives from Western Digital could potentially help data centres reduce running costs with the huge capacity they provide. What do you guys think to these new devices from Western Digital?

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Intel acquires Habana Labs for $2 billion to boost AI business https://www.kitguru.net/components/matthew-wilson/intel-acquires-habana-labs-for-2-billion-to-boost-ai-business/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/matthew-wilson/intel-acquires-habana-labs-for-2-billion-to-boost-ai-business/#respond Mon, 16 Dec 2019 15:23:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=441870 The AI chip market has been growing significantly over the years and all of the big tech giants are looking to score a piece of the pie. Intel is making some big moves in this space right now, announcing the acquisition of Habana Labs in a deal worth $2 billion. Habana Labs is based in …

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The AI chip market has been growing significantly over the years and all of the big tech giants are looking to score a piece of the pie. Intel is making some big moves in this space right now, announcing the acquisition of Habana Labs in a deal worth $2 billion.

Habana Labs is based in Israel, specialising in deep learning acceleration hardware. The company previously raised $75 million from investors last year and now, Intel is stepping in to acquire the company to strengthen its own AI business. Currently, the AI silicon market is expected to be worth more than $25 billion by 2024 and Intel is on its way to boosting that, with the company expecting to generate $3.5 billion in 2019 through its AI business.

As part of the announcement, Intel's general manager of the Data Platforms Group, Navin Shenoy, said: “This acquisition advances our AI strategy, which is to provide customers with solutions to fit every performance need – from the intelligent edge to the data center. More specifically, Habana turbo-charges our AI offerings for the data center with a high-performance training processor family and a standards-based programming environment to address evolving AI workloads”.

While Habana Labs will now be under Intel's umbrella, the company will remain an independent business unit and will continue to be led by its current management team. However, it will have access to Intel's AI expertise and resources to drive new developments.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: AI and data centres are the big battlegrounds for chip makers at the moment. Intel is already expecting to make a lot of money in the AI segment this year, so it will be interesting to see how things grow from here.

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Kingston DC500R 3.84TB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-dc500r-3-84tb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-dc500r-3-84tb-ssd-review/#respond Mon, 02 Dec 2019 15:48:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=433151 Kingston's latest DC500R SSD is a drive designed for read-centric workloads in data centres

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Kingston's latest DC500R SSD is a drive designed for read-centric workloads in data centres and features 64-layer 3D TLC NAND, an 8-channel controller and hardware based power protection.

The Kingston DC500R range consists of four capacities; 480GB, 960GB, 1.92TB and the flagship 3.84TB drive we are reviewing here. Quoted Sequential read performance across the range is up to 555MB/s. Sequential write performance for the entry-level 480GB drive is 500MB/s, both the 960GB and 1.92TB drives have a 525MB/s rating while the flagship 3.84TB drive is up to 520MB/s.

Random 4K read performance is quoted as up to 98,000 IOPS for all four drives. When it comes to random writes the 480GB drive is rated up to 12,000 IOPS, the 980GB drive up to 20,000 IOPS, while the 1.92TB and 3.84TB drives are rated at up to 24,000 IOPS and 28,000 IOPS respectively.

The drives use a combination of Phison's latest PS3112-S12DC 8-channel controller and 3D TLC NAND, and although the NAND carries Kingston branding, it's Intel 64-layer 3D TLC NAND.

Official power ratings for the drive are 1.56W idle, 1.8W for maximum reads and 7.5W for maximum writes. The endurance of the 3.84TB DC500R is quoted as 3504TBW (0.5 DWPD) and Kingston back the drive with a 5-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:
Usable Capacities: 3.84TB.
NAND Components: Intel 64-L 3D TLC NAND.
NAND Controller: Phison S12DC 8-channel.
Cache: Micron DDR4-2666.
Interface: Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s (SATA III).
Form Factor: 2.5in, 7mm.
Dimensions: 69.9 x 100 x 7mm.
Drive Weight: 92.34g.

Firmware Version: SCEKJ2.3

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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Intel announce Nervana Neural Network processors https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/james-dawson/intel-announce-nervana-neural-network-processors/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/james-dawson/intel-announce-nervana-neural-network-processors/#respond Fri, 15 Nov 2019 11:00:37 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=436321 Intel has announced a new wave of artificial intelligence. Its Nervana Neural Network processors are designed to accelerate AI system development and deployment from cloud to edge, with a new class of AI hardware. At a gathering of industry influencers, Intel demonstrated its new Nervana Neural Network Processor for Training (NNP-T1000) and inference (NNP-I1000). The new …

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Intel has announced a new wave of artificial intelligence. Its Nervana Neural Network processors are designed to accelerate AI system development and deployment from cloud to edge, with a new class of AI hardware.

At a gathering of industry influencers, Intel demonstrated its new Nervana Neural Network Processor for Training (NNP-T1000) and inference (NNP-I1000). The new technology is Intel’s first purpose-built ASICs aimed at deep learning, including incredible scale and efficiency for cloud and data centre customers.

At the same event, Intel also revealed its next-generation Movidius Myriad Vision processing unit aimed at edge media, computer vision and inference applications. Intel’s AI solutions are expected to generate over $3.5 billion in revenue in 2019 and these new products further bolster the company’s portfolio.

“With this next phase of AI, we’re reaching a breaking point in terms of computational hardware and memory. Purpose-built hardware like Intel Nervana NNPs and Movidius Myriad VPUs are necessary to continue the incredible progress in AI. Using more advanced forms of system-level AI will help us move from the conversion of data into information toward the transformation of information into knowledge.” – Naveen Rao, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the Intel Artificial Intelligence Products Group.

Intel Nervana NNP’s offer a full software stack, developed with open components and deep learning framework. The new technology is in production now and is being delivered to customers. The NNP-T provides a balance between compute, communication and memory, to allow for near-linear and energy-efficient scaling for small clusters, right up to the largest pod supercomputers. Intel Nervana NNP-I is a power and budget-efficient solution ideal for running intense, multi-modal inference at real-world scale.

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KitGuru says: The addition of Nervana Neural Network processors to the company’s portfolio of AI solutions will help to boost performance in deep learning, training and AI inference across data centre and edge deployments for years to come.

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Micron X100 SSD brings 3D XPoint Technology for data centres https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/james-dawson/micron-x100-ssd/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/james-dawson/micron-x100-ssd/#respond Fri, 25 Oct 2019 14:00:27 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=432033 Micron is widely known for its Cruical branded desktop range of SSD and memory solutions. The company also provides a range of high speed, high capacity storage devices for professional enterprise and data centre systems. Micron has announced an innovative memory technology which claims to produce the world’s fastest SSD, the Micron X100. This new …

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Micron is widely known for its Cruical branded desktop range of SSD and memory solutions. The company also provides a range of high speed, high capacity storage devices for professional enterprise and data centre systems.

Micron has announced an innovative memory technology which claims to produce the world’s fastest SSD, the Micron X100. This new family of SSD devices will feature the company’s 3D XPoint technology which targets storage and memory-intensive applications for data centres. 3D XPoint technology will provide a new level of memory-to-storage hierarchy while offering higher capacity than DRAM and more endurance and performance compared to NAND.

“Micron’s innovative X100 product brings the disruptive potential of 3D XPoint technology to the data centre, driving breakthrough performance improvements for applications and enabling entirely new use cases,” said Micron Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer Sumit Sadana.

Micron X100 SSD combines high-bandwidth, low latency, high QoS and endurance to provide the highest level of performance for big data applications and transactional workloads. Additionally, Micron X100 SSDs accelerate data centre applications by delivering large amounts of data in real-time which dramatically increases the speed of data transactions.

Micron X100 SSD key features:

  • High-performance local storage — offers up to 2.5 million input/output operations per second (IOPs), more than three times faster than today’s competitive SSD offerings
  • Industry’s highest bandwidth — has more than 9GB/s bandwidth in read, write and mixed modes and is up to three times faster than today’s competitive NAND offerings
  • Ultralow latency — provides consistent read-write latency that is 11 times better than NAND SSDs
  • Application acceleration — enables two to four times the improvements in end-user experience for various applications with prevalent data centre workloads
  • High-performance in small size storage — eliminates the need for overprovisioning storage for performance
  • Ease of adoption — because the Micron X100 SSD uses the standard NVMe interface, requires no changes to software to receive the full benefits of the product

Micron X100 SSD will launch this quarter, with limited numbers of samples being initially provided to select customers. Micron has not released further stock information just yet. Once more information is revealed we will be sure to let you guys know.

KitGuru says: We have seen vast improvements in desktop SSD performance since the introduction of PCIe Gen 4.0, Micron's 3D XPoint technology will provide a huge potential for increased performance and efficiency for data centre systems.

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AMD Launches EPYC ‘Rome’ Zen 2 CPUs – Up to 64 Cores for $7K https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/amd-launches-epyc-rome-zen-2-cpus-up-to-64-cores-for-7k/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/amd-launches-epyc-rome-zen-2-cpus-up-to-64-cores-for-7k/#respond Thu, 08 Aug 2019 08:00:55 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=421372 AMD has today officially launched its new range of Zen 2-based EPYC datacenter CPUs, codenamed Rome, introducing the world's highest performance x86 processor.

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AMD has today officially launched its new range of Zen 2-based EPYC datacenter CPUs, codenamed Rome, introducing the world's highest performance x86 processor. Launching with several SKUs ranging from 8C16T models all the way up to the sixty-four core flagship, AMD is asserting what the company believes to be its position of dominance in terms of compute performance, efficiency, and security.

Based on AMD’s new Zen 2 architecture that we first saw deployed in the Ryzen 3000 series of consumer processors, EPYC Rome uses the same CCX and CCD design that is built upon TSMC’s 7nm FinFET process. The difference between those AM4 consumer chips that top out at sixteen cores and 32 threads comes most notably from the significant increase to core count thanks to AMD’s continued use of the hybrid multi-die approach. Up to eight CCDs, each of which features two CCXs with up to four cores and 16MB of L3 cache, can be positioned alongside a dedicated IO die to create a processor with up to 64 compute cores and up to 256MB of L3 cache.

Architectural improvements that we have already seen on Ryzen 3000 are present within EPYC Rome processors. AMD quotes 15% IPC improvement versus the previous generation, which has proven to be a fair claim based on Ryzen 3000 testing. Improvements brought about by the TAGE branch predictor are highlighted. Doubled floating point performance and a doubling of L3 cache per CCX are also important.

One of the most notable improvements which has proven successful on the consumer desktop is the enhanced AVX256 performance. The single-op 256-bit data path allows for improved performance in AVX-based workloads compared to the previous dual-op approach for the Zen architecture. This is of high importance to datacenter and HPC users with heavy AVX workloads as it is typically an area where Intel’s alternative implementation has proven to be successful, even despite the reduced turbo frequency bins under such scenarios. Combined with double the core count, the improved AVX architecture for Zen 2 EPYC provides 4x the floating point performance, which is key for many dynamic modelling workloads.

We saw an example from video technology company Beamr whereby extremely high bitrate 8K60 HDR video footage was being processed down to 50Mbps using the HEVC codec. This was being run on the 64-core EPYC 7742 and had the processor running close to maximum utilisation across all cores. Asked whether this workload would run on previous generation EPYC CPUs, all of which have the inherent design disadvantage in terms of AVX performance, the answer was a convincing ‘no'. Multiple 4K streams were the maximum capability for those chips, compared to the single 8K60 stream we saw on show.

Power efficiency can be critical here, especially for live sports events being shot in high resolution and at high frame rates. At-the-event compute capability is required to process the high bitrate data down to a lower bitrate using a mezzanine codec where it can be more easily satellite streamed to the next step of the process. The reduction in electrical power requirements for this compute task is important, with live sports setups often being positioned in trucks at the stadium whereby plentiful power is not so easily attainable as it is inside a datacenter. That's the power of 7nm and the efficiency it provides Zen 2 processors.

Continuing the 7nm focus, Chief Architect of Cores at AMD – Mike Clark – was keen to point out the benefits that TSMC’s process node provides AMD. 7nm FinFET technology drives possibilities such as 2x density, greater than 1.25x frequency for the same power, or half the power for the same performance versus previous generations. To datacenter operators with an eye on performance per Watt and compute performance density, those three points are critical to business profitability through the potential to reduce operational expenditure and therefore TCO. Being able to squeeze more cores into a single box compared to previous generation EPYC and also Intel competition is important. It reduces the overhead necessitated by additional non-compute hardware in increased numbers of servers which can be perceived as dead money. That can help to reduce capital expenditure, which also plays a big part in the TCO equation.

Interestingly, one of AMD's slides was particularly honest in comparing its perception of its process technology compared to Intel’s. AMD highlights the performance per Watt advantage for Intel’s 14nm and 14nm+ process nodes versus Global Foundries 14nm and 12nm technology. The leapfrog occurs with the transition to TSMC’s 7nm FinFET processor node – a manufacturing node that AMD is confident will give it a performance per Watt advantage even versus Intel's 10nm process.

AMD was keen to highlight how the number of CCDs used can be tweaked to their preference for market segmentation. Cores can also be disabled and fused off in conventional manners to create niche processors for specific target audiences, such as an eight-core, sixteen-thread part with a hefty 128MB of L3 cache.

Unlike previous EPYC processors, which were effectively four Ryzen 7 processors on a single substrate linked together via Infinity Fabric, EPYC Rome is slightly different in how it scales compared to Ryzen. Instead, the IO die is created specifically for EPYC and is fabbed on a 14nm process node.

Arguably most notable within the IO die is the memory controller. Eight channel DDR4, with up to 2 DIMMs per channel, is supported. This time, however, frequency capability comes in at 3200MHz, albeit in a 1 DIMM per channel configuration. Speaking to a Microsoft Azure engineer, the preferred implementation for many latency-sensitive workloads will be in a 1 DIMM per channel DDR4-3200 configuration. With the availability of high capacity DIMMs, this still permits high memory capacities whilst also avoiding the potential reduction to around DDR4-2400 frequency, memory controller dependent, with a 2 DIMM per channel configuration.

Crunching the numbers, AMD quotes memory capacity for up 4TB of RAM per single socket CPU. That's a notable increase compared to the Intel competition where users would be required to go down a multi-socket approach to reach such RAM capacities in a single server. Workloads that benefit from high quantities of system memory, such as virtualisation and certain simulation solvers, can benefit from hordes of system memory without users being forced to over-purchase on the CPU compute capability or deal with the overheads of a multi-socket motherboard.

Also critical to IO capability is the PCIe lane capacity. Each single CPU offers 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes, with bifurcation allowing up to 8 devices per 16-lane link. The increased bandwidth permitted for high-speed storage is a key benefit that PCIe Gen 4 brings to the market. Big data or other workloads that heavily interact with high capacity flash storage can benefit from the faster speeds to the storage infrastructure. The same higher-bandwidth Gen 4 benefits can be important in GPU compute scenarios whereby data can be frequently shifting between high performance compute cards and accelerators.

AMD highlights how up to 162 PCIe Gen 4 lanes can be provided by a single dual-socket EPYC Rome system. The CPU-to-CPU interaction doesn't permit for a full 100% increase in available PCIe lanes versus a single socket system. AMD does, however, allow for an additional 16 lanes per CPU to be carved off and added to the total pool. Some other resources can be reallocated, thus taking the total PCIe Gen 4 capacity to a possible 162 lanes.

Security is an area that AMD has put particular emphasis on. Built in to the processor is a discrete AMD secure processor that can handle certain security operation in isolation from the main x86 CPU. This can help to minimise possible attack vectors and the ability to attack the AMD secure processor via the main x86 CPU, in theory. Memory encryption is one particular area that AMD highlighted. Secure Memory Encryption (SME) limits the ability of the hypervisor administrator to view data being shifted through memory in the managed VMs. This is particularly important in scenarios such as web servers whereby sensitive user information, such as names and addresses, can be shifted through memory.

Secure Encrypted Virtualisation (SEV) is another piece of the security puzzle. The implementation allows for individual VMs to be isolated. Importantly, this helps to eliminate (perhaps mitigate is a more reasonable term) the possibility for administrator tampering and it helps to protect against an untrusted hypervisor. One key per VM and one key per hypervisor helps to protect VMs from one another and it also means that the hypervisor only has limited control over the VM and therefore is a less useful attack vector. Another area managed by the AMD secure processor are the encryption keys for the AES-128 engine in the memory controller.

Top of the performance stack is AMD's flagship EPYC 7742 processor. This is a 64-core, 128-thread CPU with a TDP of 225W. AMD allows the TDP to be configured up to 240W, if a hardware vendor builds the cooling and power delivery capacity for such an increase. With 8 CCDs and therefore 16 CCXs deployed, the flagship gets 256MB of L3 cache, giving dual-socket users a huge half-a-Gigabyte of L3 cache capacity. That's in addition to 8-channel DDR4-3200MHz capacity with up to 4TB of system RAM support (albeit at reduced frequencies in 2 DPC mode). 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes are provided.

Clock speeds are 2.25GHz base and up to 3.4GHz boost. AMD highlighted how the clock speed is dependent upon the number of cores loaded, not the workload as we see with Intel’s AVX offset. Reading from AMD's graph, it looks like 1-8 core loads will run at 3.4GHz, 16-core loads see a drop to around 3.325GHz, 32-core loads drop to around 3.275GHz, and 48-64 core loads deliver 3.2GHz.

Additional options in the product stack include 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, and 48 core processors. Some single-socket-only options are also available for a pure market segmentation purpose – the multi-socket linkage hardware is fused off to save resources. Each processor offers 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes and eight-channel memory capacity thanks to the dedicated IO die that is physically isolated from the core dies. As we have seen with the consumer AM4 platform, Zen 2-based EPYC processors can be dropped into Zen 1-based motherboards with a software update. This is perhaps important for smaller server users who wish to use some of the performance upgrades that Zen 2 provides without having to negotiate with purchasing departments for the sizeable outlay of a brand new server.

AMD is clearly optimising the product stack based on specific usage scenarios. For example, there's an 8-core EPYC 7262 processor that features 128MB of L3 cache – double that of other 8/12/16-core models. That increased cache capacity comes through the use of eight CCXs, albeit with 3 cores per 4-core CCX disabled. At 155W TDP and 180W cTDPMax, the heightened TDP number implies that lesser quality silicon is being used for this specific SKU. However, that may be of little downside to specific market segments that require high cache capacity without the associated core count, such as specific software engineering and programming workloads.

AMD's Zen 2-based EPYC Rome processors are shipping as of July 2019. Partners include Dell-EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Google, to name just a few. It will be interesting to see how Intel's 56-core Xeon Platinum processors will compare against the 64-core AMD EPYC 7742 flagship. Although pricing information is heavily driven by supplier configurations, the real competitor to the 64-core EPYC 7742 looks to be Intel's Xeon Platinum 8200 series processors, not the 9200 series. With Intel's common Cascade Lake processors topping out at 28 cores and with a price tag sometimes over $10,000 per CPU, AMD is keen to pitch EPYC Rome as offering higher compute capability through increased core counts and lower TCO through drastically reduced asking prices.

KitGuru Says: Do you think that AMD's scalable approach to its 7nm Zen 2-based processors will prove highly successful with EPYC 7002 series and steal market share from Intel? Comment below.

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576TB SSD storage systems under 45mm high at Cloud Expo https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/andrzej/576tb-ssd-storage-systems-under-45mm-high-at-cloud-expo/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/andrzej/576tb-ssd-storage-systems-under-45mm-high-at-cloud-expo/#respond Fri, 15 Mar 2019 21:04:16 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=407178 Several halls at London's Excel were crammed this week for Cloud Expo Europe 2019, which ran alongside Data Centre World, Blockchain Tech World, Smart IoT and DevOps Live. KitGuru hustled and bustled with the huge crowd to get a better look at the hardware that's underpinning the move back from desktop to remote computing. From …

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Several halls at London's Excel were crammed this week for Cloud Expo Europe 2019, which ran alongside Data Centre World, Blockchain Tech World, Smart IoT and DevOps Live. KitGuru hustled and bustled with the huge crowd to get a better look at the hardware that's underpinning the move back from desktop to remote computing. From a hardware lover's perspective, there was some impressive kit – alongside a lot of security, power and cooling systems.

As the headline would suggest, it was the ultra-high-density storage systems that had, arguably, the most impressive specs. Data centres measure products using the letter U to indicate a rack-mounted module that's 44.45mm high (1.75 inches in old money).

The AIC FB127-LX Storage Server offers 36 NF1 SSD bays – each of which could be populated with a 16TB NVMe Solid State Drive – for a total of 576 TB of storage. Just picturing 576x 1TB mechanical drives – and imaging that capacity in a space that’s less than 45mm high, gives you pause for thought. And a desire to own. David Huang, VP of Sales for Taiwanese OEM manufacturer AIC, explained the amazing storage densities that these new platforms can offer. The NF1 SSDs are roughly the same size as an M.2 but capacities range up to 16TB per drive.

  

There was much talk about the expected sales ramp up in the corporate/enterprise space for Intel's Cascade Lake – as well as the soon to be released Cascade Lake-X. That processor first appeared on Intel roadmaps as a Q4 2018, but is now likely to surface in/around Computex – targeting AMD's HEDT offerings. Plenty of products we saw at the show claimed to be ready to support Cascade Lake, with launch programmes geared up for next month.

Supermicro were present, with products aimed at providing a high performance platform for cloud/hybrid solutions. Twin architecture products (with up to 24 DIMM sockets per node) mean you can park 3TB of 2666MHz memory next to your Dual Xeon processors.

  

One other thing we photographed in case it made you smile: Liquid cooling pipes, for systems on an industrial scale. The expert on hand said that this range of (near) 30cm wide pipes were considered ‘mid-range' and that larger cooling solutions were available.

KitGuru says: While the hardcore among us will probably always opt for processing on the desktop, there's no doubt that there will be a huge investment in centralised systems over the next decade. With that in mind, not surprising that there were dozens of security companies on hand to explain how they can keep this metal safe. For a price. 

 

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Qualcomm quashes rumours that it was leaving the server chip market https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/qualcomm-quashes-rumours-that-it-was-leaving-the-server-chip-market/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/qualcomm-quashes-rumours-that-it-was-leaving-the-server-chip-market/#respond Thu, 14 Jun 2018 08:55:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=376854 Last month, Qualcomm was reportedly set to leave the server chip market in a bid to drastically cut costs and please its investors. It seems that this rumour was blown out of proportion, as the chipmaker has insisted that it will continue to make ARM-based chips specifically for data centres. Qualcomm's president Cristiano Amon revealed …

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Last month, Qualcomm was reportedly set to leave the server chip market in a bid to drastically cut costs and please its investors. It seems that this rumour was blown out of proportion, as the chipmaker has insisted that it will continue to make ARM-based chips specifically for data centres.

Qualcomm's president Cristiano Amon revealed the news in an interview with Reuters, asserting that while the chipmaker might be making changes, its server chip business is not at risk of shutting up shop. “We are not looking at strategic options. We are not selling. We are still focused on it.”

The rumour arose in May, when sources supposedly close to the situation told Bloomberg that Qualcomm was considering removing itself from the server chipset market by selling its division or closing it down completely.

What made the rumours particularly believable is the sheer amount of competition that stands against Qualcomm, as Samsung has dethroned Intel as the world’s largest chipmaker earlier this year. Intel still remains strides ahead of its closest competition, controlling a hefty 90 percent of the world’s desktop PCs and leading the server chip market.

Currently, Qualcomm is reliant on its position in the mobile chip market with its Snapdragon SoCs, which puts the chipmaker in a vulnerable position given the slowing sales of smartphones. Its expansion into data centre territory was a bid to remove its reliance on a singular market, however Qualcomm has relentlessly struggled to find a foothold.

While Qualcomm has declined to comment on whether the company has indeed considered selling its server chip unit, it is believed that the company placed its underwhelming server chip business in the firing line when it was forced to refocus its efforts on quelling a hostile takeover from its rival, Broadcom.

The logic behind this, is that if the company became more profitable and reduced its spending, investors would be more inclined to keep the company independent. Luckily, US officials stepped in and prevented the takeover from happening before Qualcomm made any big changes.

Moving forward, Amon told Reuters that it will be making changes by rolling its server chip division into its Qualcomm CDMA Technologies unit, which focuses on the designing and selling of mobile chips. Its new focus will be on large cloud computing, partnering with Chinese companies such as Chinese internet giants such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, Tencent Holdings Ltd and Baidu Inc.

“It’s very clear to us that the ARM opportunity is focused on a few players where you don’t have the software x86 barrier to entry,” concluded Amon.

KitGuru Says: At the very least, if Qualcomm can offer something different to Intel, AMD and Samsung, it might have a chance at boosting its market share. Hopefully the changes will help keep Qualcomm a valid player in the chipset market amidst the slowing sales of handsets.

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Apple has scrapped plans to build $1 billion data centre in Ireland https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/apple-has-scrapped-plans-to-build-1-billion-data-centre-in-ireland/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/apple-has-scrapped-plans-to-build-1-billion-data-centre-in-ireland/#respond Thu, 10 May 2018 17:29:55 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=372998 Back in 2015, Apple announced plans to build two new data centres in Europe, which would run entirely on renewable energy. The first was set to be built in Ireland and cost $1 billion to build, but we are three years on at this point and so far, no progress has been made. Now, Apple …

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Back in 2015, Apple announced plans to build two new data centres in Europe, which would run entirely on renewable energy. The first was set to be built in Ireland and cost $1 billion to build, but we are three years on at this point and so far, no progress has been made. Now, Apple is scrapping the Ireland-based data centre entirely.

In an announcement made today, Apple confirmed that it would no longer be building its planned data centre in Ireland. In a statement given to Reuters, a company spokesperson explained: “Despite our best efforts, delays in the approval process have forced us to make other plans and we will not move forward with the data centre”.

The $1 billion facility was set to be built in Athenry, Ireland, in order to be close to green energy sources. Apple was initially set to appear in Dublin's Supreme Court this week to gain approval for the first phase of building to begin, but that will no longer be taking place. The data centre would have created around 300 jobs.

While the Ireland-based data centre will no longer be going ahead, Apple says that this “will not dampen” its enthusiasm for future projects there. Currently, Apple has around 6000 employees based at its EU headquarters in Ireland, which will expand in the future.

KitGuru Says: Apple has a long history of investing in its presence in Ireland, so the fact that it couldn't end up pushing its data centre plans through comes as a bit of a surprise. 

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Dell to acquire EMC for $67 billion- largest deal in tech history https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/dell-to-acquire-emc-for-67-billion-largest-deal-in-tech-history/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/dell-to-acquire-emc-for-67-billion-largest-deal-in-tech-history/#respond Mon, 12 Oct 2015 14:00:37 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=271518 Dell has announced that it is going to take over data centre giant, EMC in a massive $67 billion acquisition deal, the largest ever in the history of the tech industry so far. EMC has apparently agreed to the sale price, which is worth around $33.15 per share, though some of the finer details are …

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Dell has announced that it is going to take over data centre giant, EMC in a massive $67 billion acquisition deal, the largest ever in the history of the tech industry so far. EMC has apparently agreed to the sale price, which is worth around $33.15 per share, though some of the finer details are a bit complicated. According to reports, the planned takeover comes with a provision that allows EMC to consider bids from rival firms as a way of re-assuring investors that they are getting the best value out of the sale.

Dell confirmed the move this morning, also announcing that it will be partnering with private equity firm, Silver Lake, for the takeover.

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According to Dell's own post on the matter, this will bring together the industry's leading innovators in the data centre field. This deal will also have the added benefit of turning Dell in to an “enterprise powerhouse”, making this a pretty major move.

For years, a significant chunk of Dell's business has relied on the sales of PCs, though it has been moving in to the enterprise sector with new devices, like its upcoming Surface competing tablet. Now with EMC under its belt, Dell will have a much larger presence in enterprise, cloud computing and data centre business, Dell will also be acquiring EMC's 81 per cent stake in VMWare, which accounts for a large portion of the company's value.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Dell went private around two years ago in order to reorganize its business without pressure from public investors. Now the company is in a position to make the largest acquisition in the tech industry to date. 

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Qualcomm sampling 24-core ARM processor for servers https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/matthew-wilson/qualcomm-sampling-24-core-arm-processor-for-servers/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/matthew-wilson/qualcomm-sampling-24-core-arm-processor-for-servers/#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2015 18:00:49 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=271438 Qualcomm has started to sample a new 24-core ARM processor aimed for use in servers and data centres, the company has revealed. The new chip in question is a pre-production system on chip (SoC) based on the ARMv8-A instruction set, which will be purposed for tackling common data centre workloads and machine learning. Testing began on …

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Qualcomm has started to sample a new 24-core ARM processor aimed for use in servers and data centres, the company has revealed. The new chip in question is a pre-production system on chip (SoC) based on the ARMv8-A instruction set, which will be purposed for tackling common data centre workloads and machine learning. Testing began on Thursday this week.

The demo on Thursday took place as part of Qualcomm's Server Development Platform, which has been in the making for a couple of years. The new 24-core ARM SoC is custom-built using advanced FinFet technology. The demo that took place tested the chip running the entire software stack, according to The Inquirer's report, including: Linux kernel version 4.2 along with KVM virtualisation, OpenStack DevStack for OpenStack cloud orchestration, guest virtual machines running a standard Linux distribution along with Apache web server and WordPress.”

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Qualcomm's Senior Vice President, Anand Chandrasekher, explained its latest venture in a press release: “As data centres evolve to support the exponential growth and innovation in data, connectivity and cloud services, Qualcomm is creating an ecosystem to meet the needs of these next-generation data centres with Qualcomm-based server technologies”.

“Our customers are eager to test and evaluate our SDP and begin porting their software. We are incorporating their feedback into our product with the goal of ensuring system and software readiness by the time we are in full production.”

KitGuru Says: Qualcomm's processors have gained in popularity over the last few years. This new SoC is clearly quite advanced, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against similar offerings on the market. 

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Microsoft and US still butting heads over data stored in Ireland https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/microsoft-and-us-still-butting-heads-over-data-stored-in-ireland/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/microsoft-and-us-still-butting-heads-over-data-stored-in-ireland/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2015 15:47:23 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=267247 Microsoft and the US Department of Justice are still butting heads over access to data stored on the company's Ireland based servers. The US has been trying to force Microsoft in to giving it access to information in the firm's datacentre in Ireland for some time now and Microsoft is continuing to fight them at …

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Microsoft and the US Department of Justice are still butting heads over access to data stored on the company's Ireland based servers. The US has been trying to force Microsoft in to giving it access to information in the firm's datacentre in Ireland for some time now and Microsoft is continuing to fight them at every turn.

The courts actually granted a search warrant for the Department of Justice to access Microsoft's servers but in December 2014, the company filed an appeal: “Microsoft is challenging a US government search warrant seeking access to customer emails in Dublin. Lower courts ruled in favour of the government and Microsoft appealed to the US Court of Appeals, filing its first brief with the Second Circuit in December 2014”, Microsoft said in a brief (Via: The Inquirer)

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Since Microsoft's brief filing, the case has attracted input from 28 other technology and media companies, 23 trade associations, the Irish government and a member of the European Parliament, and we already know how protective the EU is over privacy, you only need to look at Google's ‘right to be forgotten' to see proof of that.

“The power of a subpoena to reach business records anywhere in the world has only ever applied to a company's own records, not to private documents it holds in trust for its customers. A customer's private email correspondence is no different from the contents of a safe deposit box or the letter inside a FedEx envelope. Like those physical letters, an electronic message belongs to the customer alone, not the email provider.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Microsoft has gained a lot of support for standing up to the US government in this case. User privacy and protection from prying eyes has become a big concern over the last couple of years so I imagine many will be glad to see Microsoft continuing to argue its case here. 

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Cloud server hardware providers rub their hands https://www.kitguru.net/professional/server/jules/cloud-server-hardware-providers-rub-their-hands/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/server/jules/cloud-server-hardware-providers-rub-their-hands/#respond Tue, 09 Jul 2013 07:24:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=140655 For each generation of good idea, there needs to be a seed: An injection of high-profile capital that energises the market and fires the imagination. With The Cloud, that investment could well be from Microsoft. KitGuru pulls out the trusty old abacus. People have been talking about the cloud for a very long time. The …

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For each generation of good idea, there needs to be a seed: An injection of high-profile capital that energises the market and fires the imagination. With The Cloud, that investment could well be from Microsoft. KitGuru pulls out the trusty old abacus.

People have been talking about the cloud for a very long time.

The fundamental principal is about the same as the original mainframe/dumb terminal scenario that was so popular in the 1950s.

In the intervening 50 years, we have been inundated with a ton of advertising and marketing messages that the ‘old style, monolithic, centralised data centre is not the way to do'.

Now, it appears, we were wrong.

You can expect millions more dollars trying to push our thinking back the other way.

So what is the project that is expected to kick start a mini-boom in Cloud interest?

Microsoft's decision to earmark $1 billion for a Cloud to provide functionality for the XBox ONE.

The initial investment in physical data centres etc will be close to $700 million – with an additional amount for up-keep, service, support and upgrades in the near future.

The underlying technology has been field tested by customers of Microsoft  Windows Azure – so you can be guaranteed that it will be fully compliant with the US government's requirement for ‘pants around the ankles – sure you can access any personal details or messages you like in real time'.

Can't simply count the power draw at the wall at home - these beasties draw BIG at the generator
Can't simply count the power draw at the wall at home – these beasties draw BIG at the generator

KitGuru says: In Ireland alone, the Microsoft Azure centre has penciled in more than 22 mega watts of power. And that's just one centre. Apparently, The XBox ONE will need these centres across the globe. This Cloud thingy better come with its own lightning generator.

Comment below, in the KitGuru forums or join us online over at Facebook.

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Green pioneers direct current data centre with HP https://www.kitguru.net/professional/server/jules/green-pioneers-direct-current-data-centre-with-hp/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/server/jules/green-pioneers-direct-current-data-centre-with-hp/#comments Wed, 30 May 2012 09:08:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=92814 While Dell is packing big and bad with the news that it has a brand new line up of tiny and powerful Copper servers with ARM technology, HP has not been resting. Instead, its engineers have been working with the biggest IT/communications service providers in Switzerland, to try and save time/money/energy/effort by implementing a DC …

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While Dell is packing big and bad with the news that it has a brand new line up of tiny and powerful Copper servers with ARM technology, HP has not been resting. Instead, its engineers have been working with the biggest IT/communications service providers in Switzerland, to try and save time/money/energy/effort by implementing a DC power system. KitGuru licks a 9v PP3 battery to remember what real juice tastes like.

Green is a colour. It is also a major technology and communication company in Switzerland. With that kind of name, you need a strategy that’s dedicated to ‘doing more with less and leaving less crap behind’.

Green’s CEO, Franz Grueter, has been studying the data and believes he has a solution. With customers implementing around 6 millio0n new servers a year, overall demand for electricity at data centres is increasing by around 10% every year. With that in mind, Franz sent his best scientists off with beer, pizza and Toblerone (eaten THIS WAY, we believe), to brainstorm a way for Green to stay ahead of the curve.

The solution seems to be remarkably simple and obvious.

Instead of moving current back and forth between AC and DC, why not design your data centres to run on a 380 volt DC system – from day one?

According to Franz’s numbers, the resulting saving is huge – “around 20% less power consumption from grid to chip”.

Not only are they cheaper to run, these new breed of DC data centres are actually around 15% cheaper to build. Who knew?

Ron Noblett wasted no time in breaking out the fake tan, Speedos and champagne, “Green was looking for an IT partner that could provide HVDC-enabled IT solutions to meet its specific data-centre needs. At the heart of HP's Converged Infrastructure strategy is our commitment to develop new energy-saving technologies that can lower data-centre capital costs, as well as ongoing operations costs and complexity”. Hmmm, KitGuru so horny when HP man speak.

KitGuru was relieved to see that Franz Grueter wasn't just just happy to see us - he actually did have a giant Toblerone in his pocket

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KitGuru says: You can't help but wonder what might happen if Dell's Copper division got together with Franz. The companies involved in this project have operations in around 100 countries across the globe, so expect to see a 20%-power-saving-DC-data-centre in a town near you, soon.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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