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AMD acquires SeaMicro

41 points by Ecio78 15y ago

Ecio78 15y ago
Some additional info here: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2012/02/29/amd-to-acquire-server-innovator-seamicro/ http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2012/02/29/amd-t... AMD will acquire low-power server specialist SeaMicro for $334 million The basic building block of the SeaMicro system is a credit card-sized compute block, comprised of a CPU and its chipset, DRAM, and a custom SeaMicro ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). SeaMicro’s patented I/O virtualization allows companies to save money by using fewer cables and network interface cards (NICs) to connect to networks and storage.
- Quequau 15y ago
  That reminds me, Calxeda was making noises a few months ago about competing in that space using ARM cores. Cruising their site I don't see anything new so I guess they weren't as far along with their development as they were saying.
  - Ecio78 15y ago
    AFAIK they were working together with HP on their labs: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/02/hp-and-calxedas-moonshot-arm-servers-will-bring-all-the-boys-to/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/02/hp-and-calxedas-moonshot-...
wtracy 15y ago
In case you're curious, this is the kind of thing that SeaMicro does: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/07/18/seamicro-packs-768-cores-into-its-atom-server/ http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/07/18/seami... Last I looked, the price of SeaMicro's servers ran in the low six-figures. Very cool stuff, but not anything I'm likely to get my hands on soon.
- Ecio78 15y ago
  According to their site, they're powering Mozilla's download cluster: http://www.seamicro.com/sites/default/files/MozillaCaseStudy.pdf http://www.seamicro.com/sites/default/files/MozillaCaseStudy...
nextparadigms 15y ago
If anything, this is a loss for Intel. SeaMicro was the company to push Atom servers the most, and may have been even the only one. If they switch to AMD, that means no other other is interested in making Atom-based servers right now, which clears the path for ARM with their Cortex A15 chips later on.
- Symmetry 15y ago
  Well, AMD has their own low power core, Bobcat, which I'd bet they're going to be combining with Sea Micro's stuff. In fact, given AMD's move to synthesized design for Bobcat I expect that they'll just take the GPU out of a Brazos chip, put in the logic from SeaMicro's special connector chips, and boom you've got a pretty compelling product.
Quequau 15y ago
With this I wonder if we will see Bobcat variants which do not have the GPU cores but instead have more CPU cores.
sciurus 15y ago
Discussion from yesterday: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3649844 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3649844

41 points by Ecio78 15y ago

Some additional info here: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2012/02/29/amd-to-acquire-server-innovator-seamicro/ http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2012/02/29/amd-t... AMD will acquire low-power server specialist SeaMicro for $334 million The basic building block of the SeaMicro system is a credit card-sized compute block, comprised of a CPU and its chipset, DRAM, and a custom SeaMicro ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). SeaMicro’s patented I/O virtualization allows companies to save money by using fewer cables and network interface cards (NICs) to connect to networks and storage.

Quequau 15y ago
That reminds me, Calxeda was making noises a few months ago about competing in that space using ARM cores. Cruising their site I don't see anything new so I guess they weren't as far along with their development as they were saying.
- Ecio78 15y ago
  AFAIK they were working together with HP on their labs: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/02/hp-and-calxedas-moonshot-arm-servers-will-bring-all-the-boys-to/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/02/hp-and-calxedas-moonshot-...

wtracy 15y ago

In case you're curious, this is the kind of thing that SeaMicro does: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/07/18/seamicro-packs-768-cores-into-its-atom-server/ http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/07/18/seami... Last I looked, the price of SeaMicro's servers ran in the low six-figures. Very cool stuff, but not anything I'm likely to get my hands on soon.

Ecio78 15y ago
According to their site, they're powering Mozilla's download cluster: http://www.seamicro.com/sites/default/files/MozillaCaseStudy.pdf http://www.seamicro.com/sites/default/files/MozillaCaseStudy...

nextparadigms 15y ago

If anything, this is a loss for Intel. SeaMicro was the company to push Atom servers the most, and may have been even the only one. If they switch to AMD, that means no other other is interested in making Atom-based servers right now, which clears the path for ARM with their Cortex A15 chips later on.

Symmetry 15y ago
Well, AMD has their own low power core, Bobcat, which I'd bet they're going to be combining with Sea Micro's stuff. In fact, given AMD's move to synthesized design for Bobcat I expect that they'll just take the GPU out of a Brazos chip, put in the logic from SeaMicro's special connector chips, and boom you've got a pretty compelling product.

Quequau 15y ago

With this I wonder if we will see Bobcat variants which do not have the GPU cores but instead have more CPU cores.

sciurus 15y ago

Discussion from yesterday: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3649844 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3649844