[] IBM unveils Power8 and OpenPower pincer attack on Intel’s x86 server monopoly

[AtenRa]

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/181102-ibm-power8-openpower-x86-server-monopoly

IBM has taken the wraps off the first servers that are powered by its monstrously powerful Power8 CPUs. With more than 4 billion transistors, packed into a stupidly large 650-square-millimeter die built on IBM’s new 22nm SOI process, the 12-core (96-thread) Power8 CPU is one of the largest and probably the most powerful CPU ever built. In a separate move, IBM is opening up the entire Power8 architecture and technical documentation through the OpenPower Foundation, allowing third parties to make Power-based chips (much like ARM’s licensing model), and to allow for the creation of specialized coprocessors (GPUs, FPGAs, etc.) that link directly into the CPU’s memory space using IBM’s new CAPI interface. You will not be surprised to hear that Nvidia, Samsung, and Google — three huge players among hundreds more who are beholden to Intel’s server monopoly — are core members of the OpenPower Foundation. The Power8 CPU and the OpenPower Foundation are the cornerstones of a very big, well-orchestrated plan to finally put an end to x86′s reign, and place a fairer, more powerful architecture at the head of the server table.

 

[Fox5]

Ah to think, if AMD had continued on the same path, they'd be releasing a 400mm^2 22nm SOI chip, running at 5ghz and consuming 125W.

 

[master_shake_]

crysis, will it play?



i know it's server tech, but can it be ported to the desktop realm?

maybe make intel work a little harder seeing amd is of no threat.

 

[mrmt]

If openpower work as well as the commom platform, Intel will laugh all the way to the bank. Btw, power 8 doesn't address much of the issues that are making power sales to crash.

 

[DominionSeraph]

$8000 for their low-end 1P server? You can get 12 Intel cores for $2k.

 

[Fox5]

$8000 for their low-end 1P server? You can get 12 Intel cores for $2k.

So by that logic, the microserver market should doom Intel.

$8000 isn't really that much for the market they're targeting anyway, you'll spend more than that equipping it with memory and hard drives.
But there's a certain value to having the fastest performance with the least communication overhead, and that's what IBM is shooting for here. IBM's customers don't mind having to use liquid cooling, and super computers don't care about noise.

 

[TreVader]

$8000 for their low-end 1P server? You can get 12 Intel cores for $2k.

Good luck getting those 12 intel cores to run 96 threads LOL.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Good luck getting those 12 intel cores to run 96 threads LOL.

What performance does it get from the ability to run so many threads on 12 cores? Hyperthreading only sees ~20% gains.

 

[jpiniero]

The chip interconnect is the only thing that interests me. Good luck getting Intel to do something like that.

 

[Fox5]

What performance does it get from the ability to run so many threads on 12 cores? Hyperthreading only sees ~20% gains.

Hyper threading can do more than 20%.
IBM's architecture is better suited for it.
And.... it allows for more web server type applications. Low resource applications that need quick responsiveness.

 

[Khato]

While the Power8 is certainly interesting I couldn't help but laugh at the article for the simple fact that it's all about IBM trying to take back the server marketshare that Intel gained over the past what, 15 years or so? Especially since they're trying to do so with basically the exact same strategy that they've been using all along and somehow seem to expect that it's now going to yield a different result.

 

[Ajay]

What performance does it get from the ability to run so many threads on 12 cores? Hyperthreading only sees ~20% gains.

Depends on how the program is coded, and how many xtors are dedicated to towards executing multiple hardware threads. Last time I saw anything on performance scaling vs. xtor budget was a chart in H & P by DEC. That was a long time ago. Maybe IBM has published something something about their performance expectations. I'll try and remember to look it up.

 

[Idontcare]

While the Power8 is certainly interesting I couldn't help but laugh at the article for the simple fact that it's all about IBM trying to take back the server marketshare that Intel gained over the past what, 15 years or so? Especially since they're trying to do so with basically the exact same strategy that they've been using all along and somehow seem to expect that it's now going to yield a different result.

May as well go down trying if you are doomed to go down. What other option does IBM have?

I suppose they could buy Nvidia, talk about how great a so-called "fused" product would be in which Power9+ or Power10+ would contain both traditional Power-based cores (and more of them, of course) coupled with a future Nvidia core design (say Volta) and it would unleash a veritable storm of processing power on the competition in 5-6 years.

Sounds almost fool-proof, right?

But seriously, other than keep-on-keep'n on, not sure what else IBM could do at this juncture to replace the large revenue they depend on from software and support sales that stem from their relatively diminutive hardware sales.

They either stick with the existing game plan, or throw in the towel and become DELL Jr, right?

 

[Techhog]

That is one big CPU.

 

[jpiniero]

My kneejerk reaction was "didn't they sell it to Lenovo?" Well that was only the x86 server line, not Power.

But seriously, other than keep-on-keep'n on, not sure what else IBM could do at this juncture to replace the large revenue they depend on from software and support sales that stem from their relatively diminutive hardware sales.

They either stick with the existing game plan, or throw in the towel and become DELL Jr, right?

IBM is pretty much a software and support company at this point. They don't necessarily need Power to push their software. They're also kind of circling the drain, but that's for another day.

 

[norseamd]

valhalla does exist

 

[ShintaiDK]

May as well go down trying if you are doomed to go down. What other option does IBM have?

IBM already moved towards x86. POWER series is simply dead, its just a matter of waiting for shutting down the life support for the terminal patient.

Not to mention as said, IBM is basicly a software only company today.

Not to mention IBMs usual way of trying to stay alive, 13000 workers fired:
http://www.businessinsider.com/ibm-layoffs-expected-2014-2

 

[Lonyo]

Hyper threading can do more than 20%.
IBM's architecture is better suited for it.
And.... it allows for more web server type applications. Low resource applications that need quick responsiveness.

Which is why comparisons to Xeons only is stupid (but hey, it's marketing). Lets ignore the many core low power Atom servers.

 

[ShintaiDK]

My kneejerk reaction was "didn't they sell it to Lenovo?" Well that was only the x86 server line, not Power.

Lenovo didnt want it. Because there is no future for POWER.

 

[Erenhardt]

Lenovo didnt want it. Because there is no future for POWER.

There is so little future for POWER as there was so little for APU in the console.
Spare us your crystal ball predictions.

 

[ShintaiDK]

There is so little future for POWER as there was so little for APU in the console.
Spare us your crystal ball predictions.

SPARC, POWER and Itanium is in rapid decline and have been for ages now. And I have proven POWER is in free fall as well from IBMs own numbers.

SPARC also went open license. And it kept its free fall to being completely irrelevant today.

I know the best thing by some would be the demise of Intel. But the fact is x86 keeps rapid expanding its lead over RISC based server uarchs. And x86 now sits on over 90% of all server revenue. Just 2 years ago it was just over 80%.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatsp...ed-since-its-acquisition-of-sun-microsystems/

POWER is only going open due to being dead, its a last resort attempt to keep the dead patient alive for a little longer.

The EX class x86 CPUs is simply slaughtering the RISC based CPUs in all important metrics.

 

[norseamd]

Ah to think, if AMD had continued on the same path, they'd be releasing a 400mm^2 22nm SOI chip, running at 5ghz and consuming 125W.

i would pay for such a amazing cpu chip

 

[norseamd]

the rhetoric is strong in this one

 

[norseamd]

That is one big CPU.

my thoughts exactly

that is big enough to fit in the hand

 

[mrmt]

my thoughts exactly

that is big enough to fit in the hand

Power 8 is just slightly bigger than AMD 16c MCM.