Amazon, Facebook, and Google are three members of a fairly exclusive club. These three companies order custom server processors from Intel (and other companies). Jason Waxman of Intel was quoted by Wired, "Sometimes OEMs and end customers ask us to put a feature into the silicon and it sort of depends upon how big a deal it is and whether it has to be invisible or proprietary to a customer. We're always happy to, if we can find a way to get it into the silicon".
Now, it would seem, that Google is interested in developing their own server processors based on architecture licensed from ARM. This could be a big deal for Intel as Bloomberg believes Google accounts for a whole 4.3% of the chip giant's revenue.
Ouch.
Of course this probably does not mean Google will spring up a fabrication lab somewhere. That would just be nutty. It is still unclear whether they will cut in ARM design houses, such as AMD or Qualcomm, or whether they will take ARM's design and run straight to TSMC, GlobalFoundries, or IBM with it.
I am sure there would be many takers for some sizable fraction of 4.3% of Intel's revenue.
I wonder the type of designs
I wonder the type of designs they are looking for. Tightly coupled CPU + IO or souped up ISA or uber cores and ram. It would be interesting to get an inside look at how and what they end up doing in the long run.
The purpose of Google Barge
The purpose of Google Barge is revealed! Floating the silicon wafers on the water during fabrication decreases wrinkling and defects. Brilliant!
In the future, the custom
In the future, the custom Socs are going to be very popular with companies that require them in large volumes. XB1 & PS4 are examples of two big X86 Socs that are made by AMD.
Many companies like Qualcomm, Apple and AMD will be producing 64-bit ARM Socs for specific applications.
Cutting Intel’s server market share will be beneficial for many companies.
Linux & Steam OS will free the world from Microsoft and Steve Ballmer’s BS.
Anyway, choice in the market place is a good thing.
MS made computers work and
MS made computers work and compatible with an unlimited amount of hardware and devices.
you want to poo poo on that? MS has done more for computing then all of them combined, go teach everyones parents how to use linux and no that doesn’t work cause some dusty basement hasn’t written drivers for your new device…. you lose.
Really M$ made computers work
Really M$ made computers work for M$, and its only claim to fame is the coattails of IBM, and M$’s extensive use of the the John D Rockefeller, Sr market playbook! And how many of M$’s fine office productivity software versions have problems with compatibility and UIs over thae years, and what the hell is with that crap TIFKAM, other than a M$ land grab, railroad baron style attempt, at turning third party OEM produced laptop/PC hardware into a recurring, Apple style closed ecosystem, source of Milked customers’ wallets dry profiteering. Linux represents the future of the OS as a vital infrastructure, and a vender lockin free world, just ask the many enterprises that run it on their servers, including M$ main nemesis. And do not forget the Debian Gaben Linux distro for gaming, sans M$ 30% off of the top protection money!
Yes take the ARM ISA , like
Yes take the ARM ISA , like Apple did, and pimp it out with extra execution units, and such for specific server loads, like web-page sreving optimized ARM custom cores, and other custom ARM cores, tuned for information processing! And if Google was smart they would do what Apple did, and buy a small chip design company and the brainpower to make an A7 like mobile CPU, or google could just hire one, such as the many CPU design bureaus, like ARM holdings (the licensor of the ARM ISA, and main ARM refrence designs) , and smaller custom CPU design bureaus that are poping up to service the ARM liscense holders' customization needs! This is the market model that ARM Holdings introduced to the CPU industry, a few decades ago, and the one that will change the industry from just a few monolithic type CPU/GPU companies, who can minipulate the CPU and GPU supply chain to their unfair advantage, to the decentralizied licensed IP model, where any device company can license ARM holdings' ISA or refrence designs, and others, and have custom CPU/GPU designed, and contract with a third party foundry to have the chips fabbed. Google has the funds to purchase the IP and brainpower, and Google should take advantage of the licensed IP model, to build a custom server and Mobile/tablet/chromebook pimped out custom ARM ISA based CPUs with Nvidia graphics, or others, Nvidia is getting into the licensed IP model market with some of its mobile GPU tech/IP also! This very same market model change that happened with the Auto industry many years ago, how many car makers manufacture cars completely, from parts to finished product, none they all use third party subcontracted parts manufactures!
Edit CPU the to : the CPU and
Edit CPU the to : the CPU and GPU