Google goes back to Intel

Remember we told you there were chipset problems with Google's AMD boxes? There is more to it than that, the really big news is the boxes will have a Dell logo on them.

Now, these are so far from vanilla boxes it isn't funny at all. I hear Intel put a ton of work to custom design systems for Google. Dell's involvement seems to be as an assembler, nothing more. But it seems that having board friends in high places doesn't hurt when the money flows.

If I had to guess at what these boxes incorporate it would be low CPU with high memory capacity. In that regard, I would think it is a 1S low-end Woodcrest box with enough FB-DIMMs to choke a horse, a memory box with a vestigial CPU. That would fit the requirements I hear for Google, memory, memory, and memory, with a little extra stuff for some unknown reason.

What gets me is that this config is the weakest point for Intel in Performance Per Watt (shortened to FUD for brevity). This deal makes little sense, but has been in the works for over six months. Intel has been really hot for the PR it will bring, but Google doesn't seem to care. I wonder if this is reflected in the price? µ