Intel has grand plans for its energy efficint armada of server processors, something it has now detailed for partners and OEMs. Intel has introduced a new concept it calls microservers where you will find energy efficient Xeon processors based on Sandy Bridge, but starting 2012 also Atom-based solutions.
Intel says that the new Sandy Bridge architecture is capable of scaling down to 20 watt in a server environment and already the chip giant has started making Xeon E3-1220L, a 2.2 GHz Sandy Bridge processor sporting two cores, HyperThreading and 3MB cache that comes with a TDP of only 20 watt. The processors can be pushed to 3.4 GHz with Turbo Boost and supports up to 32GB memory in four 4 memory slots.
Intel Xeon E3-1220L will be found in systems in 2011 and Intel’s microserver venture also contains big brother Xeon E3-1260L sporting four cores, 2.4 GHz clock frequency and 8MB cache and rated 45 watt.
By the end of the year it expects to release Sandy Bridge-based models with TDPs as low as 15 watt.
To reach the final goal with the server processors that consume below 10 watt Intel will turn to its Atom platform. This venture will come to life next year and become a direct reply to the ARM-based server platforms that have appeared.
These processors are intended to be used in microservers where you instead of finding large powerful servers focus on several smaller and less powerful servers, this reduce running costs since most systems rarely operate at full capacity.
