Equinix Prepping To Unleash 128-core Ampere Arm Silicon In Its 'Metal' Not-quite-cloud

Equinix is weeks away from unleashing Ampere’s 128-core Altra server CPUs in its “Metal” not-quite cloud service.

Metal, the renting of bare metal servers either on-demand or as reserved capacity, was developed after the data centre giant bought bare metal automation specialist Packet in early 2020.

Zachary Smith, managing director of bare metal at Equinix, told The Register that Ampere silicon is a fortnight or so away from being revealed. He added that Ampere will join next-generation Intel and AMD CPUs in the Metal service.

Aerial view of Equinix's data centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Aerial view of Equinix's data centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Ampere’s tech will appeal to those who like to isolate workloads, the exec said. “Single core consistent performance on Arm is super-exciting right now,” he added. “Container workloads really love that.”

Smith would say no more about the Ampere tech but told us that Metal now offers integration with the Mirantis Container Cloud. Cohesity’s mutlicloud data platform is another new partner.

So is Dell. Metal will now happily host and manage Dell PowerEdge servers purchased using the hardware giant’s “Apex” IT-as-a-service plan. Pure Storage is also aboard. Equinix will host the Pure1 cloud-based storage management on Metal.

Smith characterised the Pure and Dell deals as “managed appliances-as-a-service” and said the market for appliances is heating up.

In addition, Equinix continues to expand Metal’s footprint. It’s now sold in 18 of Equinix’s markets, although only eight offer it in on-demand node. In the other 10 territories, Smith said Metal is an alternative to colocation that buyers may appreciate because it provides faster start-up times than schlepping your own kit into an Equinix bit barn and getting it working.

And yes, that does mean Equinix is now kind-of in competition with Equinix. ®

RECENT NEWS

From Chip War To Cloud War: The Next Frontier In Global Tech Competition

The global chip war, characterized by intense competition among nations and corporations for supremacy in semiconductor ... Read more

The High Stakes Of Tech Regulation: Security Risks And Market Dynamics

The influence of tech giants in the global economy continues to grow, raising crucial questions about how to balance sec... Read more

The Tyranny Of Instagram Interiors: Why It's Time To Break Free From Algorithm-Driven Aesthetics

Instagram has become a dominant force in shaping interior design trends, offering a seemingly endless stream of inspirat... Read more

The Data Crunch In AI: Strategies For Sustainability

Exploring solutions to the imminent exhaustion of internet data for AI training.As the artificial intelligence (AI) indu... Read more

Google Abandons Four-Year Effort To Remove Cookies From Chrome Browser

After four years of dedicated effort, Google has decided to abandon its plan to remove third-party cookies from its Chro... Read more

LinkedIn Embraces AI And Gamification To Drive User Engagement And Revenue

In an effort to tackle slowing revenue growth and enhance user engagement, LinkedIn is turning to artificial intelligenc... Read more