HP, Intel collaborate on servers

Hewlett-Packard is moving ahead with Intel in developing extremely low-power servers as part of its Project Moonshot initiative, opting initially for the chipmaker's Atom-based Centerton platform rather than ARM processor technology, eWeek reports.

Project Moonshot was first introduced in November 2011, with most of the headlines centring on HP's partnership with Calxeda to eventually incorporate the chipmaker's ARM-based EnergyCore processors into future low-power servers as part of the initiative.

However, the first servers that will roll out as part of Project Moonshot will be powered by the Centerton systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), which Intel introduced in April. Centerton will offer many of the data centre features, from 64-bit capabilities to virtualisation support, to error-correcting code (ECC) memory, which ARM processors currently lack.

According to Wired, codenamed “Gemini”, the server will be the first machine to emerge from Project Moonshot.

Gemini gets its power savings in part through the low-power chips. Centerton consumes six watts of power, compared to between 17 watts and 45 watts for a Xeon chip, said Jason Waxman, GM of Intel's cloud infrastructure group, PC World writes.

Gemini also reduces power consumption through the use of shared components for functions like networking, management and cooling, HP said, though it is not providing specifics. It would say only that one Gemini rack will have thousands of Atom CPU cores.