Intel Announces the First 14nm Intel Xeon SoC to Address Growing Networks
The connected world we live in is made possible by many different networks shepherding the massive amount of data being generated every day. According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, the monthly global mobile data traffic will surpass 24.3 exabytes by 2019. As more devices get connected and networks become more congested, it presents many new opportunities for hardware manufacturers that make up many of the equipment needed to run this infrastructure. Intel is looking to capitalize on this growth with the Xeon processor D product family to extend its presence from the edge of data centers to the network.
The company announced the first 14nm Intel Xeon Product Family system-on-chip (SoC) with server-class capabilities in a dense, low-power SoC that has been optimized for the cloud, telecom service providers and Web hosting companies.
According to Andy Patrizio of www.itworld.com, the move by Intel to the Xeon D from Atoms will give the company better performance as ARM makes gains in the sector, even though it is mostly a player in the mobile field. This SoC is capable of delivering up to 3.4 times faster performance per node and up to 1.7 times better performance per watt compared to the company's Atom C2750 SoC.
As the cost of infrastructure continues to move upwards, this processors will give customers better intelligence and the flexibility to quickly deliver new services at a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). This includes server-class reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS) that lets telecom operators deliver intelligent edge networks supporting error-correcting code memory, combined with enhanced hardware-based Intel Virtualization Technology and Intel Advanced Encryption Standard-New Instructions (AES-NI).
The Xeon D line has two processors with both chips having a memory controller that can access up to 128GB memory. The D-1540 has 8 cores with HyperThreading and it runs at 2GHz with a TDP of 45 watts. The D-1520 has 4 cores and it runs at 2.2GHz with 45W TDP.
Intel reported it has more than 50 systems currently in design, with close to 75 percent addressing network, storage and IoT designs. Some of the biggest system providers around the world are currently designing microservers based on the processor, including Cisco, HP, NEC, Quanta Cloud Technology, Sugon and Supermicro.
“The growth of connected devices and demand for more digital services has created new opportunities for information and communication technology,” said Diane Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of the Data Center Group at Intel. “By bringing Intel Xeon processor performance to a low-power SoC, we're delivering the best of both worlds and enabling our customers to deliver exciting new services.”
This first round of the products will provide dedicated web hosting, memory caching, dynamic web serving, warm storage and other workloads as it is optimized for cloud hosts and service providers. In the future, storage and network optimized products will target entry SAN and NAS appliances, edge routers and wireless base stations, and industrial IoT devices usage.
Edited by Maurice Nagle
