Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Dell puts low-power netbook chip in new server

Via Technologies' Nano processors will power Dell's XS11-VX8 servers

Dell on Friday announced an "ultra-light" server that will be powered by low-power processors designed for use in low-cost laptops.

Via Technologies' Nano netbook processors will power Dell's XS11-VX8 servers, which are designed to run light server workloads like Web hosting applications.

Nano chips are primarily seen in netbooks, like Samsung's NC20, to run basic applications like Web surfing and word processing.

Dell's move to use Nano chips is part of a growing trend to use low-power chips in servers to reduce data-center costs. Compared to traditional server chips, netbook chips require less energy and cooling.

Microsoft's research group, for example, is trying to build an experimental server based on 50 low-power Atom chips from Intel, according to a video posted by the company on YouTube.

Tiny fans cool the Atom chips on each board, showing how little heat the chips produce.

In addition to generating less heat, the servers also reduce waste of computing resources by providing the speed needed for basic server applications, said Drew Schulke, product marketing manager for Dell's data center business.

These servers are a cheaper alternative to general-purpose servers that may prove too powerful and costly for basic server workloads.

The Dell servers will be priced at around US$400 and bundle 12 server boards with Nano chips in one 2U chassis. Each board will include Via's Nano U2250 processor, which runs at 1.3GHz, and a storage module.

Each chassis will contain fewer fans and power supplies compared to a traditional 1U tower server, Schulke said. Nano chips require smaller fans and consume 20 to 29 watts at full capacity, Schulke said.

Systems with traditional server chips, like Intel's Xeon chips or Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron chips, generally require larger fans.

The servers will be available soon worldwide through distribution channels, Schulke said.

Schulke didn't say if Dell was considering a low-power Atom processor, though other companies offer servers with the low-power chip.

SingleHop, a U.S.-based server vendor, and U.K.-based Tranquil PC Ltd. are selling Windows Home Server PCs running Intel's low-power Atom desktop CPU.

Via is also trying to expand the use of its Nano chip in servers and media servers. Two weeks ago, the company announced the VB8002 Mini-ITX motherboard for media servers that deliver video and audio content to TVs, multimedia PCs and other consumer devices.

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: Advanced Micro Devices, Advanced Micro Devices, C2, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Samsung, Via Technologies
References show all

Comments

1

matthew.bulat@gmail.com

Mon 18/05/2009 - 13:27

Atom uses

The Atom processor can also be found in modern Network Attached Storage with simple server functions such as Web, File, Print, FTP services.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: dell, netbooks, servers, via, via nano
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Fibre Channel over Ethernet
    Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is the proposed industry standard being developed by an ecosystem of Fibre Channel and networking product vendors to drive network convergence in the enterprise data center. The technology will map native Fibre Channel traffic onto Ethernet frames, and be capable of benefiting from proposed enhancements to Ethernet. FCoE’s Ethernet compatibility will leverage the ubiquity and economics of Ethernet networks while preserving the infrastructure, strengths, and tools of the existing Fibre Channel storage management framework.
    Learn more »
  • A Technical Overview of the Oracle Exadata Database Machine and Exadata Storage Server
    Businesses today increasingly need to leverage a unified database platform to enable the deployment and consolidation of all applications onto one common infrastructure. Whether OLTP, DW or mixed workload a common infrastructure delivers the efficiencies and reusability the datacenter needs – and provides the reality of grid computing in-house. Read on.
    Learn more »
  • Award-winning unified information security from Clearswift.
    Fully integrated web and email gateway security solution, providing - protection from inbound threats, policy based encryption, and data loss prevention.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments

HP and IDG news, product videos and resources