Data Center Knowledge recently showcased LoPoco’s newest, energy efficient server line. From the article:
Low Power Company (LoPoCo) believes high efficiency servers can save businesses more than half of what they spend to operate their data centers. This week the company launched a line of low-power servers, which it says can use as much as 80 percent less power than some mass-market servers. But the LoPoCo team is being cagey about exactly how it is providing those energy savings.
“It’s almost always the first question to come out of people’s mouth,” said CEO Andrew Sharp. “We are making machines that are way more efficient and perform smartly. A lot of R&D is required to do what we do. To eliminate every last ounce of waste, we start with the best processors with the best tradeoffs of performance and efficiency. Then we handcraft (the server) around them.”
LoPoCo is the latest player in the growing market for low-power server options. Some have pursued strategies with their own silicon (Tilera), or multi-node designs using low-power chips from ARM (Calxeda) or AMD (SeaMicro). LoPoCo says it is using Intel Xeon “brawny core” chips and standard form factors, and gaining energy savings through its hardware design.
“Custom chips represent a risk on multiple front,” said Sharp. “In the current market today the Intel/AMD juggernaut is really hard to beat. Down the line, we’ll take a look and see if it makes sense, but you can absolutely believe that Intel/AMD will respond. They always have in the past.”
