HPCwire: IBM Extends Opteron Server Offerings

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August 04, 2006

IBM Extends Opteron Server Offerings

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IBM has announced it is extending its line of AMD Opteron processor-based servers in response to customer demand for greater choice in the rapidly expanding x86 segment, of which blade servers lead in the transformation of today's datacenter. The new servers are designed to deliver business performance computing solutions that optimize power consumption at the chip, systems and software levels, and address clients' growing appetite for more powerful yet energy-efficient computing resources. Product availability and pricing will be announced with the availability of the next-generation AMD Opteron processors, planned for the third quarter of 2006.

The portfolio of the five new IBM systems and blades introduced is based on the next generation of AMD Opteron processors and is targeted to business performance computing -- a new compute model that leverages high performance computing capability to more effectively meet general business needs, such as business intelligence, enterprise resource planning and more. The new systems join IBM's current line of AMD Opteron processor-based systems targeted for high performance computing, first introduced to the market by IBM in April 2003. According to IBM, the new servers can deliver up to 21 percent greater performance within the same power envelope as previous generations.

The following IBM System x and BladeCenter products were introduced on Tuesday:

BladeCenter LS41 - Enterprise class scalable 2-way to 4-way blade; targeted for ERP, data marts, data warehouses, databases and HPC clusters.
BladeCenter LS21 - Enterprise class 2-way blade optimized for performance computing; targeted for financial services, scientific, high performance computing, databases.
System x3755 - For mid-market, large enterprise customers, targeted for scientific computing, such as weather simulations and crash test analysis.
System x3655 - Business performance server, targeted for database/ERP, business intelligence, IPTV and Video on Demand applications.
System x3455 - High performance compute node, targeted for scientific and technical computing, database and Linux clusters.

The new systems have been optimized for business performance computing by leveraging IBM's Enterprise X-Architecture model to bring mainframe capabilities and high-end technology to the company's x86 portfolio. Key innovations in the new systems include:

This week's introduction of the industry's first "snap-in" scalable blade server that allows customers to simply snap in an additional two socket AMD blade to the first in mere seconds -- doubling the processing capacity. Using HyperTransport interconnect technology, IBM clients can double the capability of a two socket blade in a "pay as you grow" model.
A new patent-pending function called IBM Xcelerated Memory Technology is designed to remove bottlenecks and to speed access to memory up to 15 percent faster than any vendor in the market. With Xcelerated Memory Technology IBM clients will now be able to access data faster for business critical, time-sensitive transactions.

IBM anticipates the new AMD Opteron processor-based systems will strengthen IBM's position as the world's leading server vendor with the industry's broadest arsenal of leading-edge x86 servers -- from blades to racks. According to IDC, IBM already leads the blade segment with 40 percent marketshare, and IBM's X3 technology has given the company a 39 percent marketshare in scalable servers.

"IBM continues to deliver systems innovation on top of industry-standard components to improve datacenter operations and business efficiency," said Bill Zeitler, senior vice president and group executive, IBM Systems and Technology Group. "The continued expansion of our x86 product line will help IBM capitalize on its position in the critical x86 segment, in which IBM is already growing its share two to three times as fast as the top vendors."

"Today's announcement marks an exciting milestone in the IBM-AMD relationship, ever focused on delivering innovative solutions in response to customer requirements," said Hector Ruiz, chairman and CEO, AMD. "With a solid relationship on both the research and development and product innovation fronts, IBM and AMD are teaming to deliver unparalleled enterprise solutions that leverage open standards."

IBM is focused on delivering a portfolio of technologies to improve power utilization and reduce energy costs by giving CIOs the tools to more accurately plan, monitor, and control power consumption to meet business expectations -- similar to the insight CFOs have to manage corporate cash flow. To address this need, IBM introduced the "Cool Blue" portfolio of power management and cooling technologies.

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