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I hope not, but it looks like this might be a case of Apple-envy. Microsoft was evaluating ARM for server usage, but do they need to build the SoC them self?

I hope not, but it looks like this might be a case of Apple-envy. Microsoft was evaluating ARM for server usage, but do they need to build the SoC them self? IIRC The last time they build some complex chips the result was far from perfect http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4077187/The-truth-about-last-year-s-Xbox-360-recall http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4077187/The-truth-ab...

rbanffy 16y ago
Why would an ARM-based Windows server be desirable? What role would it take? Web server? Print server? File server? "SQL Server Enterprise ARM-cluster edition"? It doesn't add up. Xbox-style devices would sound more likely. The Xbox360 was successful in showing developers can make a bunch of low-performance cores perform adequately in games. I think a multi-core ARM coupled to a decent GPU would be quite a nice gaming platform.
- adbge 16y ago
  An ARM-based Windows server would be desirable for anyone who is already using a Windows server and wants to maximize their performance per watt. I'm not sure if ARM is powerful enough to support a next generation console platform. The current Xbox 360 has 3 cores clocked at 3.2 GHz supporting two threads per core, while the most powerful ARM processor, ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore, has 4 cores that can each be clocked to "up to 1 GHz". Processors are a lot more complicated than just clock speed, of course, but I think it's readily apparent that ARM is less powerful than the current Xenon processor in the 360. Perhaps Microsoft could drop in several ARM processors or rely more heavily on the GPU. I think it's more likely that this is a move to create a powerful in house ARM chip to use in their Zune HD and maybe for a to-be-announced mobile platform.
  - rbanffy 16y ago
    > anyone who is already using a Windows server The only commonality is Windows itself. Windows NT on RISC processors has proved to be limiting in that almost no software was available to platforms other than Intel. This means the only functions a Windows on ARM server would be able to handle would be those of Windows itself and the software Microsoft choses to port. It's kind of a copycat reflex. Apple is investing a lot in ARM, porting a big chunk of their OS to it, so Microsoft is convinced it must do the same, regardless of having a viable product.
- pietrofmaggi 16y ago
  ARM are less powerful than current x86 or PowerPC chips, but uses far less energy. Do you use it where speed over consumption is king (mobile phones, MP3 players, portable consoles, are made nearly exclusively with ARM SoC). So an ARM based server is something a lot of people is looking into (remember the SheevaPlug?) becase server are usually IO Bound. Regarding a gaming device based on ARM, there are some but they are all portable and the most powerful available in the near future is the Nintendo 3DS (thanks to his GPU that is not ARM IP). Here you can find a better analysis of the Microsoft-ARM deal: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4204864/Microsoft-ARM-deal-game-changer http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4204864/Microsoft-AR...

rbanffy 16y ago

Why would an ARM-based Windows server be desirable? What role would it take? Web server? Print server? File server? "SQL Server Enterprise ARM-cluster edition"? It doesn't add up. Xbox-style devices would sound more likely. The Xbox360 was successful in showing developers can make a bunch of low-performance cores perform adequately in games. I think a multi-core ARM coupled to a decent GPU would be quite a nice gaming platform.

adbge 16y ago
An ARM-based Windows server would be desirable for anyone who is already using a Windows server and wants to maximize their performance per watt. I'm not sure if ARM is powerful enough to support a next generation console platform. The current Xbox 360 has 3 cores clocked at 3.2 GHz supporting two threads per core, while the most powerful ARM processor, ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore, has 4 cores that can each be clocked to "up to 1 GHz". Processors are a lot more complicated than just clock speed, of course, but I think it's readily apparent that ARM is less powerful than the current Xenon processor in the 360. Perhaps Microsoft could drop in several ARM processors or rely more heavily on the GPU. I think it's more likely that this is a move to create a powerful in house ARM chip to use in their Zune HD and maybe for a to-be-announced mobile platform.
- rbanffy 16y ago
  > anyone who is already using a Windows server The only commonality is Windows itself. Windows NT on RISC processors has proved to be limiting in that almost no software was available to platforms other than Intel. This means the only functions a Windows on ARM server would be able to handle would be those of Windows itself and the software Microsoft choses to port. It's kind of a copycat reflex. Apple is investing a lot in ARM, porting a big chunk of their OS to it, so Microsoft is convinced it must do the same, regardless of having a viable product.
pietrofmaggi 16y ago
ARM are less powerful than current x86 or PowerPC chips, but uses far less energy. Do you use it where speed over consumption is king (mobile phones, MP3 players, portable consoles, are made nearly exclusively with ARM SoC). So an ARM based server is something a lot of people is looking into (remember the SheevaPlug?) becase server are usually IO Bound. Regarding a gaming device based on ARM, there are some but they are all portable and the most powerful available in the near future is the Nintendo 3DS (thanks to his GPU that is not ARM IP). Here you can find a better analysis of the Microsoft-ARM deal: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4204864/Microsoft-ARM-deal-game-changer http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4204864/Microsoft-AR...