Intel Corp. expects a draft specification for blade servers to help vendors cut their development costs and push the space-saving systems into new markets.
Developed by the Server System Infrastructure (SSI) Forum, the draft Modular Server Specifications were unveiled Monday in Taipei, where many of the world’s largest hardware makers are based. Similar to a reference design, the specifications outline design guidelines for blade servers, defining features such as the size of the motherboard and the types of connectors that are used.
Blade servers, which put server components onto motherboards that can be packed closely together, are the fastest-growing segment of the server market, according to IDC. Shipments of blade servers grew 63.6 per cent during 2005, the last year for which figures are available, and growth is expected to continue at an annual rate of 38 percent through 2010, it said.
A lack of standards for blade-server designs has kept costs high and meant the systems were primarily used by large companies and data centres.
To bring down costs, the SSI specification looks to use products that are available on the market, such as heatsinks and memory modules, rather than specialized components.Intel is hoping the new specifications will make blades available for customers at small and medium-sized companies. The chip maker also hopes to see more hardware makers produce blade servers.
The first servers based on the new draft specification may appear hit the market before the end of this year, with more arriving products in 2008 when the final version of the specification is released, Intel said.