Dell’s New "Ultra-Light” Server Offers Extreme Density and Lowest Power Draw in the Industry

Dell’s Data Center Solutions division today introduced a new "ultra-light” server designed for hyper-scale data center environments and I/O intensive applications such as Web hosting. The XS11-VX8 server is extremely dense — 12 servers in one 2U chassis — enabling scale-out data center operators to pack more computing power in less data center space. The XS11-VX8 also includes the VIA Nano processor to address the power and cooling challenges associated with dense server environments.

The News:

• Advancements in architecture and the introduction of multi-core processors have yielded rapid gains in system performance of mainstream servers. However, the performance requirements of many applications and usage models haven’t kept pace. This has resulted in the under-utilization of system resources and the increasing use of virtualization to harness the horsepower available in present-day servers.
• A gap has developed for a server product sized and balanced for environments that require a combination of high density, low power and "light-sized” processing performance delivered in a sub-$400 package.
• The customers and uses for these servers include Web hosting, Web farms, light-load infrastructure and test and development.
• For these customers, with single-socket workloads, where virtualization isn’t always optimal and TCO is critical, a general purpose server is often too powerful and costly to operate.
• Dell developed the XS11-VX8 to meet the unique product needs and TCO goals of this set of customers. The XS11-VX8 offers:
  • Total Cost of Ownership: Up to 34 percent lower TCO compared to white box client systems
  • Density: 12 servers in one 2U chassis
  • Power Consumption: The VIA Nano Processor for a system that consumes only 15 watts at OS idle, and 20-29 watts at full capacity and workload, the lowest power draw in the industry
  • Management: Dedicated baseboard management controller (BMC) on each server for critical events monitoring and management via IPMI 2.0 functionality
  • Enterprise Functionality: Support for 64-bit OS and virtualization ready
  • Availability and Serviceability: N+1 power optional and a blade-like, hot plug server form factor
• Since its inception in 2007, Dell’s Data Center Solutions division has developed more than 24 different hardware platforms for some of the largest computing environments in the world. DCS works with these customers, at an engineer-to-engineer level, to develop a customized solution that is tuned to their physical facility, operating processes and application workload.

VIA Technology Comes to Enterprise Computing

• Generational leaps in x86 processor technology have created inefficiencies for enterprise server customers with single-socket workloads. These customers do not need the full processing power of next-generation x86 chips and cannot manage the associated power consumption.
• The VIA Nano processor delivers the lowest power draw in the industry, supports a full 64-bit instruction set and supports hardware virtualization (VMX).

Quotes:

• "A one-size fits all approach simply does not work for hyper-scale computing customers. The unique architecture of environments like Web hosting render unnecessary many of the system features required by mainstream IT. By working with VIA to design a high density, lower power system, Dell is designing for these customer’s specific needs, driving down costs and improving efficiency,” said Forrest Norrod, vice president and general manager of Dell’s Data Center Solutions division.
• "VIA is proud to work with Dell to bring the VIA Nano processor to markets that can take full advantage of our 64-bit advanced architecture, virtualization capabilities and industry leading power efficiency,” said Wenchi Chen, President and CEO, VIA Technologies, Inc "The VIA Nano based Dell XS11-VX8 ultra light server will set a new benchmark for density, power draw and TCO for large scale data centers.”

Additional Information:

Dell Cloud Computing Solutions
Dell’s Designed-to-order Hardware
XS11-VX8 Product Info
VIA Nano Processor
VIA Nano Processor Photos

About Dell

Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) is the leading technology provider to commercial enterprises around the world.

1. Based on Dell’s Data Center Solution Group three year TCO analysis of deploying Dell XS11-VX8 servers versus "white box” systems, May 2009. The analysis only includes acquisition costs ($350 for XS11-VX8 and $300 for "white box” system), and power and cooling costs for a typical data center. Actual client results may vary.

2. Based on a comparison of the Dell XS11-VX8 29W power consumption versus all published results for the SPECpower_ssj2008 benchmark, May 2009. For the latest results, visit http://www.spec.org/power_ssj2008.