Qualcomm demonstrates 24-core ARM server SoC

ShintaiDK

Lifer
Apr 22, 2012
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https://www.qualcomm.com/news/relea...significant-advancements-its-server-ecosystem

The battle has begun. If Qualcomm cant do it for ARM, nobody can.

Targeted at hyperscale data center customers, Qualcomm Technologies’ server SoC technology is designed to tackle some of the most common data center workloads, including Infrastructure as-a Service (IaaS), Platform as-a Service (PaaS), big data and machine learning. In development for more than two years, the SDP includes a custom server-class 24-core SoC built using advanced FinFet technology. It integrates all of the standard server-class features including PCIe and storage. The first in a roadmap of production single-chip server SoCs will include a fully custom core built on FinFet technology and will be one of the most advanced server-class SoCs on the market.

The SDP was tested today running the entire software stack: Linux kernel version 4.2 along with KVM virtualization, OpenStack DevStack for OpenStack cloud orchestration, guest virtual machines running a standard Linux distribution along with Apache web server and WordPress.

The left alone Xilinx also found a new friend in Qualcomm.
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/relea...borate-deliver-industry-leading-heterogeneous

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) through its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX), today announced a strategic technical collaboration to deliver industry-leading heterogeneous computing solutions with new levels of efficiency and performance through FPGA-enabled dynamic workload acceleration on Qualcomm Technologies’ server platforms. The strategic collaboration is designed to span multiple product generations, ranging from card level to highly-integrated solutions. Target applications include compute acceleration, big data analytics, machine learning, storage and CloudRAN.
 
Mar 10, 2006
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Completely not surprised that Xilinx would hop into bed with Qualcomm given Intel's Altera buy ;)
 

Nothingness

Platinum Member
Jul 3, 2013
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Didn't poor left alone Xilinx start sending FinFET samples of FPGA while the Intel owned Altera failed in doing so despite having worked on it for years? :biggrin:
 

Thala

Golden Member
Nov 12, 2014
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If Qualcomm cant do it for ARM, nobody can.

I'd expect Apple, NVidia or AMD would be able to do the same.
Thing is, Apple is focused on the consumer side, NVidia on automotive and AMD is focused too much on x86.
 

Exophase

Diamond Member
Apr 19, 2012
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The battle has begun. If Qualcomm cant do it for ARM, nobody can.

So you say, but Qualcomm's ARM CPU efforts haven't really consistently swept the competition away, they haven't acquired any other server specific companies/technologies that I'm aware of, and their other IP strengths (Adreno, communications) are irrelevant. So while I wouldn't say they don't stand a shot I also wouldn't say that they're in a much stronger position than various other players.
 

ShintaiDK

Lifer
Apr 22, 2012
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Its just hard to imagine anyone else at the moment with the required money, resources etc.
 

cbn

Lifer
Mar 27, 2009
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https://www.qualcomm.com/news/relea...significant-advancements-its-server-ecosystem

The battle has begun. If Qualcomm cant do it for ARM, nobody can.



The left alone Xilinx also found a new friend in Qualcomm.
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/relea...borate-deliver-industry-leading-heterogeneous

I wonder how the cores (IPC/frequency) and other specs compare to what Gigabyte announced back in June:

48 2.5 Ghz ARMv8 cores (28nm) per socket (384 cores per 2U server):

http://www.gigabyte.com/press-center/news-page.aspx?nid=1371

1682fbed-0d87-4095-aadd-f88ba24885b4.jpg


636a7261-f106-4c4a-93b0-a6907f8a2ff0.jpg
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
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If this chip fails in servers, will we see it in phones? Some new version of MS Surface?

LOL.
 

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
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I wonder how the cores (IPC/frequency) and other specs compare to what Gigabyte announced back in June:

We keep seeing blurbs and snippets of the next big thing in ARM server computing, but in terms of product availability, there isn't much there to see. Matters are muddied by the backroom nature of ODM deals. There's no way for any of us to know what companies like Amazon, Google, etc. are buying for their server rooms when they go out of their way to obscure the nature of their purchases to keep their competitors off-balance.

I am a little surprised nobody from the server squad of the ARMy has tried to leverage Apple's A8/A9/A9x (or some variant thereof) for the server room.
 

NTMBK

Lifer
Nov 14, 2011
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As someone pointed out on RWT, this thing has over 3000 pins:

chip-100620923-large.jpg


That's a lot of I/O. I wonder how many memory channels this thing will have?
 

Tsavo

Platinum Member
Sep 29, 2009
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As someone pointed out on RWT, this thing has over 3000 pins:

That's a lot of I/O. I wonder how many memory channels this thing will have?

128. The big downside is that it only supports 32GB of ram total.
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
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Two unproven (at best) business strategies. ARM servers and CPU+FPGA heterogeneous computing. Meanwhile, their bread and butter mobile SOC business is under threat.
 
Mar 10, 2006
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Two unproven (at best) business strategies. ARM servers and CPU+FPGA heterogeneous computing. Meanwhile, their bread and butter mobile SOC business is under threat.

That's a good point. Qualcomm needs to be careful to defend its position in the low-end and mid-range of the market (very high volumes) against MediaTek.
 

Exophase

Diamond Member
Apr 19, 2012
4,439
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Two unproven (at best) business strategies. ARM servers and CPU+FPGA heterogeneous computing. Meanwhile, their bread and butter mobile SOC business is under threat.

Their bread and butter is cellular technology. Particularly license fees for protocol related patents. You should read their most recent financial report:

http://investor.qualcomm.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1234452-13-483

In particular look at the table on F-27. Although QCT brings in much more gross revenue than QTL they brought in about half the EBT. And QCT includes sales of standalone communications ICs, not just apps processor SoCs.
 

kimmel

Senior member
Mar 28, 2013
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That package probably costs as much as than the die inside.
 
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ShintaiDK

Lifer
Apr 22, 2012
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qualcomm-sdp-16x9.jpg

qualcomm-arm-server.jpg

qualcomm_arm_server_top.jpg


Looks like the regular 130-150W TDP area on the cooling. Die size would be interesting to know. It looks very big tho.

Memory seems to be 6 channels. Only adds to the question what all those pins are needed for.
 
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