Previously totally reliant on the x86 architecture for CPU design, chip company AMD understands there is significant potential in developing system-on-chip (SoC) processors that harness the energy-efficient architecture provided by ARM®.
The x86 architecture, championed by Intel, dominates the server, PC and notebook markets. AMD uses this base architecture as a blueprint, designs its own CPUs around it, and competes against Intel in a number of areas. However, while x86 architecture has proved to be resilient and has provided excellent peak performance, its one large failing is relatively poor energy efficiency exhibited by even the latest processors.Why waste money and power?
This is where ARM's simpler, leaner architecture comes into play. Power consumption is a much more prominent issue than it was, say, 10 years ago, and datacentres are now built with power consumption very much in mind. Server-based workloads, too, are changing, with datacentre owners requiring workload-optimised processing rather than a one-fits-all approach propagated by Intel.
AMD believes that a custom-designed SoC processor makes a lot of sense in the entry-level server market. The Opteron A1100, codenamed Seattle, is that SoC and it uses four or eight 64-bit ARM Cortex®-A57 cores operating at up to 2GHz, a 128-bit-wide, dual-channel memory controller capable of supporting both DDR3 and DDR4 RAM - either in regular DIMM or SODIMM formats - dual 10GbE networking, eight SATA 6Gbps ports and eight lanes of PCIe 3.0 connectivity. In short, it's a meaty processor that has processing and connectivity covered in equal measure, though there's no mention of Radeon-infused graphics.
By amalgamating the core CPU technology from ARM's highly energy-efficient Cortex-A series processors and judiciously integrating the right I/O for server-type workloads, AMD hopes that Opteron A1100's impressive energy efficiency and low cost tempts users who need processors to handle everyday tasks such as cold storage, memcaching, and general website serving - scenarios where high-performance x86 processors aren't strictly necessary.
AMD and ARM - clear synergies
AMD clearly sees the ARM architecture as a good fit for entry-level server processing. Not only that, but energy efficiency - Opteron A1100 is mooted to be a 25W TDP part - and cost are two key drivers that should persuade hither-to x86 users to take a good look at burgeoning ARM-based alternatives.
AMD bullishness at the prospects of ARM-based processors infiltrating the entry-level server market now extends to designing its own ARMv8 processor cores, rather than relying on off-the-shelf ARM designs. The company recently announced a custom ARM-based core, codenamed K12, to be released in 2016, thus further cementing the notion that AMD's future isn't solely tied to the x86 architecture.
There's little doubt that ARM-based processors will play a role in disrupting the server market as we know it today. The technical merits of shifting primarily I/O-based workloads over to the ARM architecture are clear and obvious, but encouraging big-name players, many of whom enjoy long-standing relationships with Intel and its x86 architecture, may prove to be rather more difficult. In conclusion, the rise of ARM-based servers is inevitable; the question is just one of time.
