On 11/19/2012 06:04 PM, Christopher Samuel wrote: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > On 20/11/12 01:28, Douglas Eadline wrote: > >> Though not formally announced, Semiaccurate seems to have learned >> that AMD is leaving the X86 server business. > Whilst sad (and possibly inaccurate) it wouldn't surprise me if they > did that in the long term and turned AMD into an ARM& GPU company. > > They've already announced 64-bit ARM "Opteron" server CPUs. > > http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/29/amd-64-bit-arm-opteron-server-cpus/ > > ARM is where the market seems to be going, this ZDnet article points > out that *Android* device shipments alone now outnumber *PC* shipments > at a ratio of 3:2 : > > http://www.zdnet.com/android-really-is-the-new-windows-7000007450/ > > Given that Beowulf was (originally) all about using commodity > components over specialised ones then I'd argue that ARM has replaced > x86 as commodity CPUs, just not in a form factor we're used to using > (and certainly not yet with the RAM we need). >
My observations at SC12 definitely support this. ARM had a small 10 x 10 booth on the outskirts of the exhibit floor, and it was one of the busiest booths I saw all week at SC12. Nearby were the Calxeda and Boston booths. For those of you who don't know, Calxeda actually makes ARM products, and Boston resells an ARM-based server made by Calxeda. It's clear that many people are interested in HPC on ARM. As far as the amount of RAM we need, 64-bit ARM is here, but it will be a while before products trickle down to us, most likely not before some time in 2014, and that's coming directly from the people in booths I just mentioned. As far as 32-bit ARM, it seems like some of the big vendors are already (or are about to) offering ARM products. I saw an ARM server from HP and heard of a Dell ARM-based server at the Calxeda booth. _______________________________________________ Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf@beowulf.org sponsored by Penguin Computing To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf
