Up and Coming ARM Processors Gain Green-Conscious Support

Posted on : 10-01-2013 | By : fiberblog | In : Resources

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There’s an increasing inclination to construct servers with ARM processors. The movement is obtaining recognition, and not just from interested researchers. Both manufacturers and investment gurus are sitting up to take notice of ARM technology, and maker Calxeda has recently received 55 million USD of funding to continue producing the chip.

EnergyCore, a chip designed by Calxeda, utilizes an ARM processor that requires a low amount of power. So far, they’ve installed the chips in test servers for Hewlett-Packard and Dell. ARM servers not only require less power to run, but they can also perform tasks more quickly in response to network requests when employed in large quantities.

ARM processors will likely see a rise in acceptance across the board, especially in the server design of a large number well-employed social media websites.

ARM processors currently are primarily put to use in mobile systems like tablets and phones, while most servers implement AMD and Intel x86 chips. Intel has started to distribute Atom, a server chip that requires little power, with a market-ready line of Atom chips to compete with the comparable ARM processors.

Calxeda has already seen market action while selling this chip to Boston Ltd. in the Viridis server, prior to this recent occurrence. Individually, each Calxeda chip will require merely five watts of power, and one ARM server could run up to 48 Calxeda chips (192 ARM cores).

Mobile devices such as tablets and phones primarily use ARM processors at present, while traditional servers make use of x86 chips produced by Intel and AMD. The fledgling product by Intel, which has been called Atom, is comparable to ARM processors in that they require little power to operate.

A whopping 100 million in funds has found its way into Calxeda’s coffers since its humble origins four years ago, and since then it has accrued over 100 employees in the US and Asia. Both numbers promise to multiply as ARM processor chips enjoy wider adoption. While HP and Dell make use of the tech in their labs, and Calxeda enhances the chip to 64-bit, we’ll see a lot more action in their corner and in data centers across the industry.