HP puts Intel Atom chip in low-power 'Gemini' server

Gemini servers will be targeted at workloads that don't need the muscle of a traditional server CPU just as an Intel Xeon and that run more efficiently when spread out across a large number of less powerful cores, said Paul Santeler, general manager of HP's hyperscale business unit, at a press briefing.

HP is developing the low-power servers pursuant to this agreement a project it calls Moonshot. It announced the first fruits of that project last year, the Redstone Server Development Platform, which used a chip from Calxeda.

Gemini as well reduces power consumption through the use of shared elements for functions like networking, management and cooling, HP said, although it isn't providing specifics. It would say only that one Gemini rack will have thousands of Atom CPU cores.

Intel's Atom chips were at first designed for mobile use, nevertheless like ARM processors, which as well were built for mobile devices, the chips are finding a home in servers for workloads that don't need a lot of computing horsepower.