SeaMicro Offers x86 Server with Intel Atom N570 Processor

Low power server technology specialist SeaMicro announced the availability of an energy efficient 64-bit x86 server, the SM10000-64. The newest member of the SM10000 family combines SeaMicro’s server architecture with 256 of the latest 64-bit Intel Atom N570 dual-core processors. The result is the SM10000-64, which delivers 512 1.66 GHz x86 cores in a 10 rack unit-tall (17.5 inches) system. Bringing together Intel’s Atom processor and SeaMicro’s Internet-optimized server design, the SM10000-64 is designed to reduce power and space by more than 75 percent without the need for any software modifications.

Optimized for 64-bit Internet data center environments, the SM10000-64 sports SeaMicro’s 1.28 terabit/second supercomputer style fabric, which enables the SM10000-64 to deliver five times more bandwidth per unit compute than traditional servers, according to a company release. SeaMicro said this allows applications that require extensive server to server communication such as Hadoop to run more quickly by keeping network bottlenecks from inhibiting application performance. The SM10000-64 is available in the U.S. and at select international locations for a base configuration starting at $148,000.

SeaMicro’s SM10000-64 showcases the new Intel Atom dual-core 1.66 GHz N570 processor. The N570 supports 64-bit operating systems, four gigabytes of operating system addressable memory per socket and is the first low power Atom processor to support virtualization. Each dual core N570 processor supports four threads: When used on a SeaMicro motherboard, and in conjunction with SeaMicro power management technology, the N570 uses, at peak utilization, less than one watt for each gigahertz of compute.

“Intel is committed to working with innovative companies to deliver extraordinary solutions,” said Jason Waxman, general manager of Intel’s Data Center Group. “The combination of SeaMicro’s unique server architecture and the new dual core Intel Atom processor, which provides 64 bit OS support and four gigabytes of OS addressable memory all while maintaining the benefits of x86 software compatibility, make for a very compelling value proposition.”

In the Hadoop MinuteSort benchmark test, 29 SM10000-64s were able to beat the performance of 1,406 dual socket quad core servers, but used just one-quarter of the power and took one-fifth the space. A different test designed to benchmark web serving produced similar results. With ApacheBench, a test that fetches one million 16 KB files per-second, a single SM10000-64 delivered the same performance as 45 best-in-class dual socket quad core servers, but used one-quarter the power and one-quarter the space.