The Multicore CPU Race Is On

Data center consolidation and virtualization may be driving server implementations these days, but there's a much more fundamental shift occurring at the microprocessor platform level.

Systems based on the industry-standard x86 architecture are taking on a predominant role in the overall infrastructure, rivaling the performance and capability of higher-end processors. At the same time, new generations of RISC-based enterprise platforms that run improved multithreaded implementations of Unix are making huge strides in throughput and performance.

The latest in server processors is a constant barrage of next-generation platforms--and a robust pipeline, to boot.

It's important to note that the open-source revolution is redrawing the server-processing landscape. Because customers now can run software on various processor platforms, VARs have the option of moving customers off higher-end Unix systems.

x86/x64 Marks the Spot

Make no mistake. More systems will migrate toward the x86/x64 platform, says Jim McGregor, analyst at In-Stat. "The majority of the market really is geared toward x86, because you have more and more capability coming out of the platform from both AMD and Intel," he says. "My belief is that there's still a market out there [for Itanium, PowerPC and SPARC], but if customers have the resources to convert to x86 now, it would save them more money in the long term."

In 2003, AMD's Opteron was the first 64-bit server chip capable of running 32-bit apps. It propelled the Linux revolution, providing a scalable option to Windows.

Afterward, AMD enjoyed healthy leadership in the x86/x64 field, beating Intel to market with dual-core systems and leading its much larger rival in price/performance. AMD's technical edge helped it win mind share among some key server vendors--most notably, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Sun Microsystems. Even Dell broke ranks with Intel, its exclusive supplier of CPUs.

Last summer, though, Intel stymied its archrival by releasing its Xeon 5100 processors, the first ones based on Intel's next-generation Core 2 Duo, which supports up to four full instructions simultaneously. The Xeon 5100 also supports Intel's new Advanced Smart Cache, which allows for dynamic allocation of data between the two separate cores. For the first time in years, Intel had a server platform that outperformed Opteron. AMD took a further hit late last year when Intel released the first quad-core x64-based processors, the Xeon 5300.

Now AMD is priming the pump for its quad-core chips, code-named Barcelona. Last month, the vendor expanded its Opteron line with low-power, dual-core Models 1218 HE, 2218 HE and 8218 HE. The new line gives AMD a portfolio of three power bands--120 watts, 95 watts and now the 68-watt thermal envelopes. "We actually think we have the leading performance," says Steve Demski, Opteron product manager at AMD.

But Shannon Poulin, Intel's director of performance and competitive marketing, begs to differ: "We've got quad-core; they don't," he notes.

And Intel says it will continue to trump its competition. Later this year, the vendor plans to go to production with 45-nanometer chipsets (the current is 65 nm), which it says will lead to more power-efficient CPUs early next year.

What's more, the Intel camp is about to receive a benefactor in Sun. The only major server vendor not supporting Intel's x64, Sun shook things up in January, saying it plans to offer its first Xeon-based servers and workstations this year. As reported in "Sun's Rekindled Star," Sun will ship Xeon-based servers this summer. While it will join a crowded field of server vendors offering Xeon-based systems, Sun has a reputation for adding value in highly commoditized markets, especially in the way of cooling and energy efficiency.

While offering Opteron-based x86 servers for nearly four years has given Sun a new foothold in the broader server market, the vendor needed to align itself with Intel in order to maintain credibility and gain market share.

"This is important, because customers do have preferences in terms of which x86 processors they use," says Gordon Haff, an analyst at Illuminata. "At any given time, one of the two vendors [AMD and Intel] will have an edge over the other."

Under the new partnership with Sun, Intel will fine-tune Xeon for Solaris. As a result, Sun will be vying to position Solaris as a viable option to Linux and Windows on the x86 platform.

NEXT: Multithreading with SPARC