Multi-core processor servers are not the answer says Intel

CHIPMAKER Intel believes that multi-core processors might not be the only answer for servers.

Intel's popular range of Xeon processors looks set to be joined by chips sporting Atom cores, albeit with some modifications. However the processor core is not the only change afoot, as Intel multi-core processors might not deliver the most performance gains for certain workloads.

Dylan Larson, director of the Xeon platform at Intel told journalists during the firm's Day in the Clouds event that Intel's task is "not just improving frequency and cores, we are now looking at operational efficiency". As The INQUIRER reported earlier, one part of that operational efficiency includes Atom-based microservers, however another factor is workload management.

Different workloads, the processes that actually run on the hardware, favour multi-core processors and others favour separate processors, said Larson. This poses an interesting problem for hardware vendors such as Intel because as processor performance ramps up, the ability to feed them enough information becomes increasingly vital in order to keep operational efficiency high.

The INQUIRER asked Larson whether Intel is working on boosting the interconnect between chips, to which Larson said Intel is looking to incorporate PCI-Express channels on-die. Larson admitted that PCI-Express isn't the perfect solution but said that Intel is "moving the I/O attach point into the processor but that it needs to address high frequency buses with regards power consumption".

Larson said that "multi-core is a well entrenched plan", however users should be aware that it is deeply dependant on workloads.

Not only do Larson's earlier comments cement the Atom's greater acceptance in server deployment but many-core processors might not be the silver bullet that many once thought. The added baggage of multi-CPU interconnect might lead to users facing a trade-off between workload performance and the lower costs of multi-core processors. µ