Roundup: AMD, Tilera, Marvell, SGI

Here’s our review of some of this week’s noteworthy links for the data center industry:

AMD launches platform for web hosting providers. AMD announced the latest solution as a part of its ongoing Web/Cloud initiative with the launch of the new Opteron 3200 Series processor. The new processor series features 4 and 8 core options, ECC memory and server reliability at a low price-point and efficient economics for the cloud with twice the core density per rack. The low-power, single-socket solution brings server functionality with desktop economics. Available in either 4- or 8-core CPUs, the AMD Opteron 3200 Series processor is shipping today in platforms from MSI, Tyan, Fujitsu and Dell. “AMD is a great partner, and we’re excited about the new AMD Opteron 3200 Series CPU.  It allows us to create a custom design for our DCS customers, and deliver a compelling combination of performance and energy efficiency, “ says Dell Data Center Solutions’ Steve Cumings. “As the leader in the Density-Optimized market segment, we require focused partner technology within industry standards – and this is a good fit for our customers.”

Tilera partners with AuthenTec on IPsec solution.  Tilera announced that the AuthenTec QuickSec IPsec (Internet Protocol security) stack is available on the TILE-Gx36 and TILE-Gx16 processors, delivering over 30 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) IPsec ESP throughput. The throughput is achieved with only 25 percent of the 36 cores engaged and demonstrates the efficiency and scale of the Tile Architecture. “Effective integration of security hardware and software is a notorious challenge and we are excited to team with Tilera as the market leader in multicore processor architectures,” said Dr. Simon Blake-Wilson, Vice President of AuthenTec’s Embedded Security Solutions.  “Our IPsec software solutions are very well suited for multicore applications requiring very high speed, high efficiency processing, including cloud computing, digital video and advanced networking.   Our QuickSec toolkit and the TILE-Gx processor with its integratedMiCA encryption acceleration engines are a great combination, and the results are compelling.”

Marvell unveils SSD SATA controller.  Marvell (MRVL) announced mass deployment of the Marvell 88SS9187 SATA controller, fueled by high performance embedded processor technology. The 88SS9187 features a 6 gigabit-per-second (Gb/s) SATA Revision 3.1 compliant host interface optimized for the solid state drive (SSD) sector. It also offers correction capability through its high performance ECC engine with Adaptive Read and Write Scheme and on-chip RAID functionality to allow use of the latest generation of NAND Flash devices in the fast-growing SSD markets. “We continue to drive market-leading innovation in our SATA technology products, as seen with today’s launch of the 88SS9187 SATA controller powered by high performance embedded processor technology,” said Alan Armstrong, vice president of Marketing for the Storage Business Group at Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. “The best-in-class, open architecture of the device allows SSD manufacturers to fully customize their products to meet specific customer demands and distinguish their products based on price, performance, power and functionality.

SGI selected for HPC solution in Japan.  SGI announced today that the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), has selected an SGI UV 1000 high performance computing (HPC) solution for its next-generation science and technology simulation system. The solution features 192 sockets (1,536 cores) Intel Xeon E7 family series processors plus 12TB of shared memory. JAIST will use the UV 1000 for analyzing new materials using high-speed simulations, development of medical diagnostic and treatment support systems, and development of encryption technology. "The increasing complexity of challenges that organizations such as JAIST are working to solve is the reason why we remain committed to developing and providing solutions that serve both industry and education," said Ryutaro Ishimoto, president of SGI Japan. "With this new HPC solution now in service to the Institute, the results they achieve will strengthen our understanding of a wide range of critical problems and lay the groundwork for new discoveries now and well into the future." SGI also announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) selected storage tier virtualization solution storage solutions to support the data archiving requirements of NOAA at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). SGI InfiniteStorage DMF will provide the hierarchical storage management system required to handle the organization's large-scale and active archives, and will allow transparent access to end users for critical climate research.