ACADEMIA

Intel Corporation joined more than 40 server technology providers today in support of the new Server Systems Infrastructure (SSI) industry specification for modular server platforms. The Modular Server Specifications simplify and lower the cost of product development by providing design guidance that enables server builders to develop compliant and interoperable building blocks at the blade, chassis and manageability software level. The Modular Server Specifications are designed by the SSI organization, an industry initiative with more than 185 members. This announcement includes design specifications for compute blades, mezzanine cards and system management interfaces. The latest specifications build on previous successes of SSI, which include energy-efficient power supplies and optimized server board form factors for pedestal and rack-mount server platforms. All design specifications from SSI are made openly available to the broad market. "Intel is proud of our history of more than nine years of contributions and association with SSI," said Kirk Skaugen, vice president, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel. "As part of our commitment to leading energy-efficient computing, Intel is an active participant in the specification that will drive new cost-effective, flexible, industry standards-based platforms based on the Intel Xeon processor into the server market." Companies supporting the Modular Server Specifications include such industry leading I/O, board and system vendors as Acer, AMAX, AMI, Appro, Aquarius, Aragorn Computers, Asus, Chenbro, Colfax, Compusys, Dawning, Dedicated Computing, Digital Henge, Diode, Equus, FCI Connect, Flextronics, Gateway, Gigabyte, Hammer, HCL, IESC, Inspur, Intel, Iron Systems, Itautec, Kraftway, Lenovo, Maxdata, Mellanox Technologies, Melrow Technology NV, Microsoft, MPC, MSI, Pigeon Point Systems, Power Leader, Qlogic, Quanta, Seneca Data, Steel Cloud, Supermicro, Tarox, Teratec, Thomas Krenn, Transtec, Tyan, Viglen, Wipro, Wortmann and ZTE. These vendors are currently evaluating or developing to the Modular Server Specifications for intersection into their product roadmap starting in 2008.