Let’s Get Small: Linux Enables Low-Power, Space-Saving Systems

“A new crop of systems are coming to the data center, and they
owe a lot of their heritage to Linux. Space and power are at a
premium in today’s datacenter, and Linux will be the top choice for
smaller and less power-hungry machines powering cloud
computing.

“A couple of systems have made the news recently that are
targeting “scale out” cloud workloads, and Linux is likely to be
the OS of choice on these systems. The SeaMicro SM10000 and the
Quanta S2Q take different approaches, but the theory is the same:
Cram a lot of low-powered cores into a system to handle workloads
with massive amounts of small transactions. Sounds like a job for
Linux!

“The Quanta S2Q

“According to Andy Patrizio on ServerWatch.com, the S2Q is a
low-power and high-density machine that utilizes massively
multicore CPUs. The S2Q is based on the TILEPro64, a RISC-based CPU
with 64 cores on a chip running at 700MHz or 866MHz. According to
ServerWatch, those cores are about as powerful as an Atom CPU.”

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