New technologies often get started in a niche. Because server rooms already have multiple computers, and standard infrastructure for handling them, it is a natu

New technologies often get started in a niche. Because server rooms already have multiple computers, and standard infrastructure for handling them, it is a natural fit for many-core chips (though bandwidth to RAM/disk may be a problem). Once established in this market, the feedback loop with users who pay money will drive the technology to improve to suit that niche. The bugs will get ironed out, deficiencies worked around, specific infrastructure developed. Chips will use less power, and will get faster and cheaper. Eventually, other uses will be found for the product - perhaps on the desktop, perhaps as mobile devices, perhaps in applications that were never imagined before, because they were not conceivable. The key benefit might be from a feature that is not considered very central to the technology, from an engineering perspective, but happens to be unique with respect to the alternatives. Perhaps it could be compact size, low power consumption, doing many distinct tasks, greater reliability through redundancy.