Facebook数据中心或将使用ARM架构服务器芯片

1月16日消息，据外媒称，ARM服务器芯片经销商 Applied 微电路公司的高管将会在这次峰会上将和ARM服务器芯片厂商Calxeda讨论确定数据中心服务器和其他设备的计划书，主要为服务器主板和系统。

Calxeda称它已成为开放式计算项目的一个成员，并在这次峰会上亮相。基于ARM架构的主板成为硬盘矩阵的一个控制器，此硬盘矩阵位于OCP的开放库规格存储中。

另外，Calxeda和Avnet还将展出他们共同开放的其他数据中心的设计产品。这些设计将会在今年秋季被开放式计算团体共享。

作为峰会的一部分，Applied确认它的CEO Paramesh Gopi将会在这次峰会上发言。

这个社交网站巨头的一位主管在去年年底称Facebook有意于低功耗的32位ARM芯片，但是现在看起来这种架构在主机服务器芯片上还没有普及直到64位处理器出现，这可能会在2014年或者更晚的时候。

当前，Calxeda 正运作一款32位ARM服务器芯片并计划在2014年上市64位版本的服务器芯片。Applied称为关键用户开发64位ARM服务器芯片样品的项目正在进行，预计这个季度末完成。(元器件交易网刘光明 译)

外媒原文如下：

ARM friends Facebook at summit

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Expect ARM and Facebook to become data center friends at the Open Compute Project’s summit here Wednesday (Jan. 16).

Executives from ARM server SoC vendors Applied Micro Circuits Corp. and Calxeda will speak at the event. OCP is a Facebook-led project to define common specifications for data center servers and other gear, mainly at the board and system level.

Calxeda said it has become a member of the Open Compute Project and will show at the event its Project Knockout. The ARM-based board is geared to act as a controller for the hard disk arrays in the OCP’s Open Vault storage spec.

Separately, Calxeda and Avnet will show other data center designs they co-developed. The designs will be shared with the Open Compute community in the fall.

For its part, Applied confirmed its chief executive, Paramesh Gopi, will speak at the event.

An executive for the social networking giant told EE Times late last year that Facebook might find some low volume roles for 32-bit ARM SoCs, but it sees no widespread use of the architecture in host server processors until 64-bit parts are available, probably in 2014 or beyond.

Currently, Calxeda is shipping a 32-bit ARM server SoC and plans to ship a 64-bit version in 2014. Applied said it is on track to sample its 64-bit ARM server SoC to key customers by the end of the quarter.