3 ms·

They tried that before and flopped. The server market is different. Companies buy servers from the low bidder. Apple has never really played in that market.

stjohnswarts 5y ago
This is pretty true. While people who buy racks consider vertical improvements they tend to think laterally and how easy is it to expand (aka how cheap is the +1 server)
flatiron 5y ago
People care about performance per watt now. So they could compete. The real question is if they would support Linux. In our containerized world I can’t see their servers getting super big running macOS
- greenknight 5y ago
  The reason they dominate at PPW, is because they are on TSMCs 5nm process. No one else has made a cpu chip on this process yet. AMD are scheduled for later this year (they are currently using 7nm). It will be interesting to see the difference in performance and performance per watt, when both companies are on the same node.
  - flatiron 5y ago
    Arm I believe helps a bit as well.
  - Sporktacular 5y ago
    No, it's hetrogeneity, system integration, pipeline width and instruction set as well.
    - ip26 5y ago
      Well, that’s a relief then, all any data center needs to run these days is Apple’s wide-ranging suite of in house services, such as applache, dovewin, pOSXgres, and SAPple.
      - Sporktacular 5y ago
        In the context of the server market of course you're right. But the idea that it's a given that AMD, Intel have similar PPW chips on the way still using the x86 architecture, is not correct. There's going to be more to it than node size.
  - hajile 5y ago
    Apple's older 7nm chips still handily beat out Zen on the same 7nm process in performance by watt (and it's not even close).
alwillis 5y ago
That was before people cared about performance per watt. Besides for some use cases, these Mac Studios will be racked and in data centers as is.
macintux 5y ago
Companies also want to know that the server OS is going to be a long-term play. Apple would have a long way to go if they wanted to try that again.

stjohnswarts 5y ago

This is pretty true. While people who buy racks consider vertical improvements they tend to think laterally and how easy is it to expand (aka how cheap is the +1 server)

flatiron 5y ago

People care about performance per watt now. So they could compete. The real question is if they would support Linux. In our containerized world I can’t see their servers getting super big running macOS

greenknight 5y ago
The reason they dominate at PPW, is because they are on TSMCs 5nm process. No one else has made a cpu chip on this process yet. AMD are scheduled for later this year (they are currently using 7nm). It will be interesting to see the difference in performance and performance per watt, when both companies are on the same node.
- flatiron 5y ago
  Arm I believe helps a bit as well.
- Sporktacular 5y ago
  No, it's hetrogeneity, system integration, pipeline width and instruction set as well.
  - ip26 5y ago
    Well, that’s a relief then, all any data center needs to run these days is Apple’s wide-ranging suite of in house services, such as applache, dovewin, pOSXgres, and SAPple.
    - Sporktacular 5y ago
      In the context of the server market of course you're right. But the idea that it's a given that AMD, Intel have similar PPW chips on the way still using the x86 architecture, is not correct. There's going to be more to it than node size.
- hajile 5y ago
  Apple's older 7nm chips still handily beat out Zen on the same 7nm process in performance by watt (and it's not even close).

alwillis 5y ago

That was before people cared about performance per watt. Besides for some use cases, these Mac Studios will be racked and in data centers as is.

macintux 5y ago

Companies also want to know that the server OS is going to be a long-term play. Apple would have a long way to go if they wanted to try that again.