Sun Microsystems Unveils More Robust Chip
Looking to leapfrog its rivals, computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. announced a server chip that it said would deliver more performance while requiring less electricity than competing microprocessors.
The UltraSparc T1 processor, code-named Niagara, has eight computing engines on a single chip, with each core capable of handling as many as four tasks at once, Sun said Monday. It expects to ship systems based on the processor by year-end.
The new chip uses about 70 watts of power on average, significantly less than the 150 watts to 200 watts required by server chips from Intel Corp. or IBM Corp., Sun said.
“We can enable [customers] to provide more services within the same envelope of space, power and cooling that they have today,” said Fred Kohout, vice president of marketing at Sun’s scalable systems group. “They don’t have to add more space, more power and more cooling to add more services or run more activities on the Web.”
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun also is touting its new chip as “eco-friendly.” It said removing the world’s Web servers and replacing them with half the number of UltraSparc T1-based systems would have the same effect on carbon dioxide emissions as planting 1 million trees.
“It’s time the technology industry took a stand -- tripling your data center performance shouldn’t mean tripling your power bill and needing more coal-fired plants,” Sun President Jonathan Schwartz said.
Most chip makers already offer processors with more than one computing engine on a single chip. Some higher-end chips also have multiple cores that can execute more than one task, or thread, at the same time.
If it lives up to the claims, the UltraSparc T1 could help Sun boost its traditional business of selling servers based on its own Sparc chips and Solaris operating system. It has been struggling since the high-tech bust of 2000, as customers flocked to less expensive systems built with commodity Intel chips and less expensive or free software.
The UltraSparc T1 chips will be used first in a line of Sun Fire servers that are expected to be available this year. Sun did not disclose pricing details.
