Showing posts with label ARM server SoCs. Show all posts
Packet.net strong-ARMs cloud for $0.005 per core per hour
CEO
Zachary Smith told The Register that the company's cooked up the cloud for a
few reasons. Price is one: Packet will offer ARM cores at a tenth of the price
it charges for Intel cores, at US$0.50 per hour per server, or $0.005 per core
per hour. Smith thinks that will be a head-turner by itself.
Packet.net,
a bare-metal cloud aimed at developers, has flicked the switch on cloud-running
servers powered by a pair of Cavium's 48-core ARMv8-A ThunderX processors.
He
also thinks developers will appreciate the chance to try native Docker on
many-cored machines and appreciate the opportunity an ARM-powered cloud
represents as they pursue 100 per cent portable software. He believes open
source folk will see the arrival of an ARM-powered cloud as incentive to
accelerate cross-platform versions of their pet projects.
Even
ARM will benefit, he says, because having a working cloud on the market will
give both it and licensees more reason to innovate for the data centre.
ARM's
recent purchaser, SoftBank, recently tipped some money into Packet.net, but Smith
swears he's had a long-term ambition to offer an ARM-powered cloud, if only
because he enjoys having multiple ARM server CPU vendors willing to do deals.
That kind of competition is not currently possible in the x86 world, at least
until AMD returns to servers in 2017.
Smith
also feels that ARM clouds are inevitable, probably thanks to telcos looking to
offer cores to rent at the edge of their networks. The CEO feels that telcos
will build edge clouds because they're sick of over-the-top players having all
the fun and profits: this time telcos want to build a revenue-generating
platform beyond mere carriage.
For
now, Packet's ARM cloud offers 64-bit Ubuntu 16.04, but promises that CoreOS,
FreeBSD and CentOS are in the pipeline. Four different ARM server
configurations are also in the works.
The
cloud will have an API, a portal, and will also be accessible from DevOps
favourites likes Terraform and Ansible. Four of the company's bit barns – in
Parsippany New Jersey, Sunnyvale California, Amsterdam and Tokyo – will offer
the service as of Tuesday.
"We
want to offer a super-cheap, 'you would be stupid not to try it'
offering," Smith told The Register. "If we can get the open source
ecosystem rebooted, I think Intel's grip on the data centre will be
shattered." ®
Support
for 32-bit ARM® processors available immediately, with PowerPC and MIPS added
to the Zulu Embedded roadmap
- Azul
is now the largest commercial vendor delivering multi-platform, 100% open
source OpenJDK builds targeting embedded and IoT markets
- Fully-supported
Zulu Embedded builds of OpenJDK for 32-bit ARM processors are now
available immediately
- Zulu
Embedded builds supporting 32-bit PowerPC processors will be delivered in
Q3 2016, plus 64-bit ARM v8 support in Q1 2017
- Supported operating systems include multiple Linux distros plus Windows 10 IoT
SUNNYVALE, Calif.-- Azul Systems
(Azul), the award-winning leader in Java runtime solutions, today announced
Zulu Embedded with expanded support for multiple 32 and 64-bit embedded
processors. Zulu Embedded, Azul's 100% open source Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
based on OpenJDK, now includes support for ARM, Intel, PowerPC and MIPS
processors. With today’s announcement, Azul is highlighting its full embedded
Java SE roadmap, which spans a variety of processor architectures and operating
systems, offers exceptional performance via optimized JIT compilation, supports
various form factors and compact profiles, and provides a pure open source,
standards-compliant solution for embedded Java.
General Availability: Zulu Embedded for
ARM® V7 and V8
Zulu Embedded brings a variety of
choices to product teams and manufacturers who integrate Java for their
embedded and IoT-centric designs. Java is used virtually everywhere in the
embedded world, ranging from manufacturing and logistics to security,
networking, wireless, mobile and many other embedded applications.
Fully-supported Zulu Embedded builds of
OpenJDK for 32-bit ARM are now available immediately, with builds supporting
32-bit PowerPC processors to be delivered in Q3 2016, plus 64-bit ARM v8
support in Q1 2017. Azul is also working with Cavium on Zulu Embedded support
for 64-bit versions of the MIPS processor architecture. Zulu Embedded has
supported both 32 and 64-bit x86 processors since its initial launch in early
2015.
“Highly efficient 32-bit ARM processors
power a diverse range of embedded applications in automotive, TV, gateways,
payment systems, and more," said Dominic Pajak, Marketing Director,
Embedded Segments, ARM. "OpenJDK-based products like Zulu Embedded greatly
enhance the Java development experience and add to the wide choices in the ARM
ecosystem.”
“Azul’s Java expertise is well
recognized in the industry, and the commitment to bring Zulu JVM to 64-bit
ARMv8 and MIPS architectures will accelerate the efficiency and optimization of
Java for Cavium customers,” said Larry Wikelius, Vice President Software
Ecosystem and Solutions, Cavium. “Java based applications continue to be
critical to our OCTEON® and ThunderX® installed base and Zulu will provide the
commercial options that many end users require. Azul is a welcome addition to
Cavium’s thriving software ecosystem partner community.”
“Java is a key enabling technology for
the Internet of Things,” said Christian Renaud, Research Director, Internet of
Things, 451 Research. “Many IoT applications demand real-time performance, and
Zulu Embedded’s new support of 32-bit ARM architecture enables a number of
opportunities and new applications in smart grid, healthcare, transportation,
and many other applications.”
“Canonical and Azul are working
together to ensure that Java developers building IoT solutions for Ubuntu Core
can easily package their applications as snaps and incorporate Zulu Embedded
using the new snapcraft tooling,” said Maarten Ectors, VP of IoT at Canonical.
"The Eclipse Foundation's Internet
of Things Working Group has a number of Java-based open source IoT projects
that will benefit from running on Zulu Embedded for 32-bit ARM processors. Zulu
Embedded will be an important open source option for Java developers building
IoT solutions," said Mike Milinkovich, Executive Director of Eclipse
Foundation.
“Today’s announcement of the immediate
availability of Zulu Embedded with support for 32-bit ARM processors and our
extended embedded roadmap highlight Azul’s role as the industry’s leading
provider of multi-platform, open source Java solutions,” said Scott Sellers,
Azul Systems president and CEO. “The embedded and IoT markets are exploding
with new products and devices, and Zulu Embedded provides the industry’s only
open source, standards compliant solution for Java for these markets. By
offering a wide range of processor and operating system support, and delivering
customized builds to meet specific embedded requirements, Zulu Embedded is
quickly become the de facto standard for developing and commercializing
Java-based solutions in the embedded, maker and IoT markets.”
