Seamicro unveils servers with low power Intel Xeon processors

SERVER VENDOR Seamicro has unveiled a server range featuring Intel low power quad-core Xeon processors.

The company claims the SM10000 is the most efficient Xeon-based system in the world, consuming half the power required by traditional server designs.

Designed for high-performance tasks such as database and application servers, the SM10000 builds on the company's previous line of Atom-powered servers.

Seamicro founder and CEO Andrew Feldman said the new servers will target the scale-out datacentre market that previously haas been using the Atom servers for lightweight tasks such as web applications.

"They are growing unbelievably quickly, and both sets of needs are growing," Feldman explained.

"[Customers] have needs for small workloads with the web applications and they have growing needs on the back end with their app stores."

To meet those workloads Seamicro is introducing what Feldman calls the "most energy efficient Xeon processor ever built".

The key to that energy efficiency, said Seamicro, is a redesign of server motherboards. The SM10000 reduces its motherboard design to just three major components.

The Xeon chip and system memory are joined by the Freedom Fabric ASIC chip, which virtualises a number of I/O activities and eliminates the need for a number of controller and interface chips.

The result, said Feldman, is a system which is far more scalable than conventional designs. The Seamicro chief said that one SM10000 unit can replace as many as 32 rack-mounted servers while also cutting the need for routing switches.

Ultimately, the company is looking to expand its server approach to accommodate all of Intel's server lines, allowing vendors to easily deploy and manage server models based on their needs at the time.

"Our goal is to make sure we give people different optimisation points," Feldman explained.

"Our approach was to have a fabric to use with everything Intel makes."

The SM10000 servers will be available through Seamicro and its channel providers at a starting price of $138,000. µ