AMD shows of dual x86/ARM server
October 2014 – At ARM Techcon AMD’s network products group was showing their new dual x86/ARM 64bit processor being used in and an advanced SDN application device. They were showing a 10GE switch that was enabled with NFV (network function virtualization). The device featured support for OpenStack in the networking space. The device was also a traditional switch without wireless integration but support for wireless devices through the standard ports.
The dual core chip allowed for high throughput virtualization with the x86 architecture portion of the chip that is compatible with most existing SDN policies. The ARM portion of the chip features a 64-bit processor and is optimized for user virtualization and interface to multiple Web servers. This allows the device to optimally support both data traffic and mobile generated web traffic going to the same centralized output in the data center
The use of the ARM cores for automated M2M interface is a key for supporting next-generation Internet of things (IoT) devices and data traffic. The design that was being shown is a reference design with a standard using multiple protocols in the open source community to show how the new chip can be used to lower the power and increase the throughput of the networking equipment
