Fujitsu launches single-slot AMD server rack

New server rack will feature 2nd generation AMD Epyc Rome processors

Fujitsu has unveiled a single-socket server rack that targets data centres owned by Internet Service Providers.

The new server rack will be packed with a 2nd-gen AMD Epyc 7002 processor with up to 64 ‘Zen 2’ cores per chip. Zen 2 is AMD’s latest chip microarchitecture, fabricated on the 7-nanometer node.

“We are pleased to strengthen the business relationship with AMD with the new Fujitsu server PRIMERGY LX1430 M1 based on the 2nd Gen AMD Epyc processor. This joint collaboration will accelerate to deploy AMD Epyc based systems to help customers achieve digital transformation and innovate their businesses,” said Kenichi Sakai, corporate executive officer, SVP, head of system platform business unit.

The Japanese tech giant is pitching the server rack to scale-out cloud environments seeking high performance and low power consumption.

“Cloud and Enterprise customers are looking for leadership performance and lower total cost of ownership to support increasingly complex workloads,” said Scott Aylor, corporate VP and GM, datacenter solutions group, AMD.

“The 2nd Gen AMD Epyc processors deliver single-socket performance at price points that set a new standard for the modern datacentre.”

Although Intel commands 90 percent of the data centre chip market, AMD has been steadily gaining ground on its chipmaker rival since the launch of its Epyc server chips in 2017, which offer comparable performance to Intel’s Xeon processors at a much lower price point.

Such no-brainer economics have seen AMD win the custom of big-budget hyperscalers like AWS, Google, Baidu and Microsoft. AMD expects to claim 10 percent of the data centre chip market by the end of the year.

The latest chapter in AMD and Intel’s battle to win the data centre processor war revolves around 7nm chips, a new standard in processor shrinking that promises to (briefly) rekindle Moore’s Law. With the release of Epyc Rome 7nm processors in August, AMD got a leg up on its rival. Intel’s own 7nm chips, dubbed Ice Lake, won’t be available until 2021.