Lenovo Launches ThinkServer RS140 for SMBs

Lenovo’s server business isn’t standing still while the company works to complete its $2.3 billion deal to buy IBM’s x86 systems business.

The company on June 10 unveiled the ThinkServer RS140, a 1U (1.75-inch) rack system aimed at small and midsize businesses and remote offices. The system is armed with a single Intel processor—options range from a Xeon E3-1200 v3 (with its integrated graphics technology), a Core i3 or a Pentium—and Intel’s Advanced Management Technology (AMT) 9.0 for remote manageability.

The integrated graphics in the latest Xeon E3-1200 chips means the new server will fit in as a system for streaming media, games and other graphics-intensive Web content, according to officials. The RS140 offers up to 32GB of memory and 8TB of internal storage, and includes a full-height, half-length x8 Gen 3 PCI-Express slot for more RAID protection or network expansion.

The system, which is available now starting at $549, is 16.2 inches deep, which is good for space-constrained data centers or wiring closets.

“The Lenovo Enterprise Group is aggressively expanding its server offerings in the rack segment by adding a new 1P rack to our portfolio,” Darrel Ward, vice president of Lenovo’s Enterprise Product Group, said in a statement.

The new system comes as Lenovo is trying to close the deal with IBM, which was announced in January. With IBM’s x86 server business in the fold, Lenovo—currently the largest PC vendor—would become the world’s third-largest server vendor, behind Hewlett-Packard and Dell. The server deal was announced just before Lenovo officials said the company is going to buy Motorola Mobility from Google for $2.9 billion.

Together, the two deals would play into Lenovo’s efforts to be a significant player in all areas of computing, from the data center to PCs to mobile devices. However, reports began surfacing earlier this month that closing the IBM deal could take longer than expected given the high level of scrutiny it’s getting from the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, a government agency whose job it is to review for national security purposes acquisitions in which foreign entities buy U.S. companies.

The United States and China are in a dispute over cyber-security, with both sides trading charges of spying and hacking.