[dragontamer]

AMD can't be the "first one out the gate" when the The Boston Virdis by Calexdia came out years ago.

http://www.boston.co.uk/solutions/viridis/default.aspx

AMD however, with its partnership with SeaMicro, is going to be a force to be reckoned with. AMD has experience in the datacenter, while all these other ARM companies don't.

[trsohmers]

But that was 32 bit ARMv7 Cortex A9 based, shipped in 2013 with 2011/2012 specs, and twice as much than a comparable Intel based system.

And that is why Calxeda is now dead.

Also: AMD doesn't just have a partnership with SeaMicro, they bought them back in 2012.

[dragontamer]

I know. My point is that the title of "First ARM Server" has already been taken. And frankly, "First" is a dubious advantage.

For ARM systems to be competitive, they must deliver power, performance, and cost-efficiency beyond Intel Xeons (including the new Intel Atom line of Xeons). Otherwise, x86 dominance in the datacenter will continue.

These ARM servers are interesting and all... but honestly, a Dell Poweredge seems to deliver much more at a lower cost. Brand-new Poweredge Racks are as low as $700 (R220), Poweredge Xeons start at $1000.

So what is a fair price for an X-Gene? If its anything more than $400, I'm thinking the old Intel solution will be superior. (Even a Celeron will outperform an ARM)