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The author:(作者)归海一刀
published in(发表于) 2014/5/5 7:16:48
Intel blows! Google Server chip select IBM，

Intel blows!
Chip select IBM-Google's servers, Google, Intel, IBM-IT information Intel blows! Google Server chip selects IBM

The Intel Fab Fab 42 in Chandler, Arizona, United States President Barack Obama is naming. In 2012, the United States President Barack Obama's brief visit this factory still under construction, said the plant was United States symbol of optimism. At that time, Obama said, "I am behind the factories under construction, representing a us within reach of the United States, representing a good manufacturing jobs to attract the next generation of United States. ”

This is a lofty vision, but for Intel, and plans changed. The chip giant eventually decided to close the US $ 5 billion to establish factories. Now, Fab 42 seems to have had a different meaning of the construction site, whose show is a regular transition to Intel, who are struggling to catch up with the pace of change in the world of Intel.

Now, compared to carrying a chip of Intel PC, smartphones and Tablet devices, iPad, and Android mobile phones and other hot products are low power ARM architecture used by the chip. However, Chandler Fab 42 factories were forced to shut down more than that, is that include Google, Facebook and Amazon are among the major online companies are also seeking to maintain their non-Intel computer processors to run. This may be said to be, first causes the second trend appears.

On Monday, Intel was hit again. Gedeng·maijien (Gordon MacKean), the person responsible for thousands and thousands of servers for the Google Empire Online Widget, Google's social networking site Google+ the much-vaunted red server boards. His Google + dispatch said he was "excited" to show you the Red Board, which uses IBM Power 8 processors, not Intel's chips.

The untrained eye, the motherboard may not look like much, but the fact is, this is a big deal. In order to turn its software into IBM's running under the framework, Google spent a lot of time and effort, even the motherboard design is using IBM processors as a blueprint. Back in 1998, when Google first started, the servers contain Intel processors it uses, and now, Google is the world's fifth-largest server chip customer. However, the search giant does not own any person other than the processor.

▲ The Red motherboard uses IBM Power 8 processors, not Intel

So, why should Google develop a new server chip? Mackean said the "surge in demand has prompted us to do so. Google's growth is enormous. "In other words, Google has been growing, so those bearing large numbers of servers that run Google have to keep growing. Yes, Google can choose to use Intel chips to expand his operation. However, Google is also necessary to use products from other chip makers. So not only will you reduce expenses, while also ensuring that the chip will be used by Google is getting better and better. Companies such as Google, does not want to rely on Intel chips manufacturers, they hoped that there is competition in the market, they want to see the play.

Two Intel

It's been more than 10 years, Intel's chip business has been doing well, two parallel lines of business, desktop and server operations, not only yield surprising and enjoy high profit margins. But as Intel's client businesses are struggling, or its server business may be affected. As the Stanford University computer science professor kelisituosi·kaozilaqisi (Christos Kozyrakis) points out, Intel will usually produce a desktop chip, the chip is then remake the server version. He said, "they're on different cache and the storage controllers, using exactly the same chip cores. Then place the chip in the processor. ”

With this approach, Intel single chip development costs can be distributed to different parts of the company. This is very important. Design new processor cores is an important task, take hundreds of engineers take many years to complete. However, the effectiveness of the policy in the future, Intel is not known. Kaozilaqisi said that "up to now, is just part of the market appear to reflect good, half the market is like that. And now the problem is that this opinion has changed you? ”

Intel said that desktop shipments rebounded recently, and server products at an unprecedented speed. Indeed, in the server business, Intel did have an enormous advantage. Google, Facebook, all the Internet giants such as Microsoft and Amazon are almost always with an x86 server. However, Intel encountered stranded in the desktop market, which also faced greater competition in the server market. Google exploring IBM Power chips in addition to outside, on Facebook at ARM architecture and other low energy chips used in the server's voice is not there in the ear. Now, Amazon seems to be doing the same thing.

Compared with Intel x86 architecture, ARM and Power chip are different in that, as long as it takes, to any outside vendor be permitted to design and modify the chip. This is an x86 architecture cannot be achieved, Intel has the responsibility to be innovative. ARM architecture has been external authorization, IBM OpenPower Alliance was formed, memory chip makers, the graphics chip manufacturers and other suppliers could get together, in collaboration with the construction of Google has been called for by the world system. IBM celebrities (IBM Fellow) bulaide·maikelaidi (Brad McCready) says, "If you look at x86, found that x86 does not establish that allow anyone to join them in their own platform innovation and open environment. ”

High-frequency trading firms Jump Trading Chicago research team leader kelisiduofu·la-MC (Christopher Lameter) said he hoped that the efforts of OpenPower can bring useful new chip designs for clients such as JumpTrading. He worries that desktop market slowdown will eventually damage Intel's new research and development work in Server business, research and development speed can slow down for 4-6 years. But at the same time, new products from mobile handsets market he was very excited, he said, "at the kernel level, seems to be ARM/Android combination is driving innovation. ”

However, the fact is that nowadays, no one can guarantee that the next major server where breakthroughs occur. For many years, by cutting the size of chip electronic components, chip makers have achieved a great deal in terms of chip performance improvement. Chips but volume is too small to small, now seems to be the best way to build up customer design, able to run fast and handle Internet data chips. Hopes IBM OpenPower can turn this idea into reality.

In addition, if the ARM and pushes the Power chips in innovative, then Intel will be under pressure because of imitation.

Competitive incentives

Intel client business slowed down is true. 10 years ago, Intel's client business at an annual growth rate of 11%, according to Mercury Research data analysis of micro-chip firm, in 2013, the Intel client business increases to 4%. However, Mercury Research principal analyst at Dien·maikekalong (Dean McCarron) did not consider desktop business slowdown would have an impact on Intel's server business innovation.

However, competition can stimulate the server business innovation, he agrees. Two years ago, Intel did not encounter significant competition. But with the accession of OpenPower and ARM, things began to change. "The competition more than a number, product innovation and more. "Maikekalong said.

In other words, to replace King status of Intel in the chip industry, more than the need for a red Board, but need more product. Maikekalong said that "Intel has plenty of motivation to capture this market, because this market's profits were too high. ”

英特尔再遭打击！谷歌服务器芯片选择IBM - 谷歌,英特尔,IBM - IT资讯
英特尔再遭打击！谷歌服务器芯片选择IBM

英特尔亚利桑那州钱德勒市的晶圆厂Fab 42，由美国总统奥巴马命名。2012年，美国总统奥巴马短暂造访这座仍在建设中的工厂，称该工厂是美国乐观主义的象征。当时，奥巴马说道，“我身后这座正在建设中的工厂，代表着一个我们触手可及的美国，代表着能够吸引下一代优良制造业就业的美国。”

这是一个崇高的愿景，但是对于英特尔来说，计划赶不上变化。这家芯片巨头最终决定关闭这座斥资50亿美元建立起来的工厂。现在，Fab 42的施工现场俨然已经有了另一番寓意，其展示出的是一个正处于过渡期的英特尔，一家正苦于赶上世界变迁步伐的英特尔。

现在，相较于搭载有英特尔芯片的PC、智能手机和平板电脑设备，iPad和Android手机等热销产品所使用的都是低耗能ARM架构芯片。不过，钱德勒Fab 42工厂被迫关闭不止如此，还在于，包括谷歌、Facebook和亚马逊在内的大型在线企业也在寻求采用非英特尔芯片计算机处理器来维持自己的运行。这或许可以说是，第一个趋势导致第二个趋势出现。

上周一，英特尔又一次遭受到打击。戈登·麦基恩(Gordon MacKean)，这个负责为谷歌在线帝国构件成千上万个服务器的人，在谷歌旗下社交网站Google+大肆吹捧一款红色服务器主板。他在Google +发文称，他非常“激动”地向大家展示这款红色主板，其所采用的是IBM Power 8处理器，并非英特尔芯片。

对外行人来说，这款主板或许并不怎么起眼，但事实上，这可是件大事。为了将自己的软件转化到IBM的架构下运行，谷歌花费了不少时间和精力，甚至连主板的设计都是以IBM处理器为蓝图。回到1998年谷歌刚起步之时，其所使用的服务器都载有英特尔处理器，而现在，谷歌是英特尔全球第五大服务器芯片客户。不过，这家搜索巨头不会为自己以外的任何人生产处理器。

▲这款红色主板所采用的是IBM Power 8处理器，并非英特尔芯片

那么，谷歌为何要研发一款全新的服务器处理芯片？麦基恩表示，“暴增的需求促使我们这么做。谷歌的增长十分巨大。”换句话说就是，谷歌一直在增长，所以，那些支撑谷歌运行的大批服务器也必须要保持增长。没错，谷歌可以选择继续使用英特尔芯片服务器来扩张自己的运行。但是，谷歌也有必要去使用其他芯片厂商的产品。这样一来不仅可以减少开支，同时还能确保谷歌所使用的芯片会变得越来越好。像谷歌这样的企业，并不想要单依靠英特尔一家芯片厂商，他们希望市场中有竞争，他们希望看到鹬蚌相争。

两个英特尔

这十多年来，英特尔的芯片业务表现一直不错，两条平行的业务线，台式机业务和服务器业务，不仅产量惊人且享有高利润率。但由于英特尔客户端业务正在苦苦挣扎，其服务器业务或可能因此而受到影响。正如斯坦福大学计算机科学教授克里斯托斯·考兹拉齐斯(Christos Kozyrakis)所指出的，英特尔通常会生产一款台式机芯片，然后将该芯片重制服务器版本。他表示，“他们在不同的缓存和不同的存储控制器上，采用完全相同的芯片内核。然后将这款芯片放入处理器。”

借助这种方法，英特尔能够将单一的芯片开发成本发放到公司不同部门。这是很重要的。设计全新的处理器内核是一项重要任务，需要数百名工程师耗费数年时间才能完成。但是，英特尔的这项策略未来也能否奏效尚不可知。考兹拉齐斯表示，“到目前为止，情况似乎是只要一部分市场反映良好，另一半市场就亦是如此。而现在的问题是，这个观点变了吗？”

英特尔表示，台式机出货量最近出现反弹，而服务器产品改进也在以前所未有的速度进行。的确，在服务器业务方面，英特尔确实拥有巨大优势。谷歌、Facebook、微软和亚马逊等所有互联网巨头几乎都在使用英特尔的x86架构服务器。但是，英特尔在台式机市场遭遇搁浅，其在服务器市场也面临更激烈的竞争。除了谷歌在探索IBM Power芯片之外，关于Facebook将在服务器中采用ARM架构及其他低耗能芯片的声音也一直未绝于耳。而现在，亚马逊似乎也要做同样的事情。

与英特尔x86架构相比，ARM和Power芯片的不同之处在于，只要需要，任何外部厂商都能够获许对芯片进行设计和修改。这是英特尔x86架构无法实现的，英特尔有责任进行创新。ARM架构一直对外授权，IBM也组建了OpenPower联盟，方便记忆芯片厂商、图形芯片厂商及其他零部件供应商能够聚在一起，协同构建谷歌一直所呼吁的那种世界型系统。IBM名士(IBM Fellow)布莱德·迈克莱蒂(Brad McCready)表示，“如果你看看x86，会发现x86并未建立起这个允许所有人加入并在自己平台创新的开放生态环境。”

芝加哥高频交易公司Jump Trading研发团队负责人克里斯多弗·拉美特(Christopher Lameter)表示，他希望OpenPower的努力，可以为对JumpTrading等客户带来有用的新型芯片设计。他担心，台式机市场增长放缓最终将损害英特尔在服务器业务方面的新研发工作，研发速度可能减缓4-6年。但同时，移动手机市场的一些新研发产品则让他非常兴奋，他表示，“在内核级别方面，似乎ARM/Android组合正在推动创新。”

不过，事实是，现如今，没有人能够保证下一个重大的服务器突破会出现在哪里。多年以来，通过缩减芯片电子元件尺寸，芯片厂商们在芯片性能方面取得了很大提升。但是现在的芯片原件体积已经小得不能再小，如今最好的方法似乎就是构建由客户设计、能够飞速运行和处理互联网应用数据的芯片。IBM希望OpenPower可以将这个想法变为现实。

另外，如果ARM和Power芯片在推送创新，那么，英特尔会因为模仿而承受压力。

竞争性刺激

英特尔客户端业务增速减缓是事实。10年前，英特尔客户端业务以每年11%的速度增长，据微芯片分析机构Mercury Research的数据，2013年，英特尔客户端业务增幅降低至4%。不过，Mercury Research的首席分析师迪恩·麦克卡隆(Dean McCarron)并不认为台式机业务增长放缓会对英特尔服务器业务的创新造成影响。

不过，对于竞争能够刺激服务器业务创新这点，他表示赞同。两年前，英特尔并没有遭遇很大竞争。但是随着OpenPower和ARM的加入，事情开始变化。“竞争一多，产品创新就更多。”麦克卡隆说道。

这就是说，要取代英特尔在芯片市场的王者地位，不止需要一款红色主板，而是需要更多产品。麦克卡隆表示，“英特尔有充分的动机去占领这个市场，因为这个市场的利润太高。”

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