14 DAY TRIAL // Data centers are different from normal PCs, in that they are large conglomerates made by a whole bunch of individual server racks, or whatever form factor the cases of those systems possess.
Intel doesn't seem satisfied with the current state of affairs though, and believes that a full redesign of how data centers are made is needed.
That is why it is “re-architecting” data centers, or intends to do so if it rallies enough permissions and/or support from everyone else.
For one, it will deploy a new generation of rack designs as part of hybrid cloud solutions. This is Intel’s Rack Scale Architecture vision
Secondly, it will launch new datacenter products, including a system-on-chip (SoC) with Intel’s next-generation Broadwell architecture. It will be built on the 14nm technology.
Thirdly, it will release new Atom CPUs, the Atom C2000 family, based on the 22nm node. So much for rumors that the Atom brand is dying.
“Datacenters are entering a new era of rapid service delivery,” said Diane Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of the datacenter and connected systems group at Intel.
“Across network, storage and servers we continue to see significant opportunities for growth. In many cases, it requires a new approach to deliver the scale and efficiency required, and today we are unveiling the near and long-term actions to enable this transformation.”
The Atom C2000 CPUs will be codenamed Avoton (high-density microservers and storage) and Rangely (network devices). The 14nm units will come after them, in 2014 and beyond.
As for Intel’s Rack Scale Architecture (RSA), it involves Intel Xeon processors and Intel Ethernet controllers, plus Intel Solid State Drives for fast storage.
More innovative rack optimized architectures will get investments, even as Intel sets in motion its plans to virtualize the network and enable smart storage solutions.