Intel made several cloud-based announcements today in an attempt to aid the channel in deploying scalable cloud services.
The chip making giant has introduced the Xeon E5-2600 v4 line based on 14nm process technology, which they believe provide the ingredients for SDI. This will include the Intel Resource Director Technology that can move to a fully automated SDI-based cloud.
The new product line are set for cloud tasks with more than 20 per cent more cores and cache than the prior generation2, supports faster memory, and includes other integrated technologies for accelerating a wide range of server, network and storage workloads. There are also security enhancements such as workload isolation, security policy enforcement and cryptography.
The strategy behind all these moves is that Intel has determined businesses want flexibility and choice in cloud deployment models to support innovation while maintaining control of their most strategic assets.
Intel also made investments as part of the company’s Cloud for All initiative. They are also collaborating with CoreOS and Mirantis to bring together two open source technologies to orchestrate container and virtual machine-based applications. The merging of these two technologies into a single solution have been done for channel partners who are also cloud operators.
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VMware is also a big part of this cloud initiative for Intel. VMware announced a network of Centers of Excellence aimed at accelerating cloud deployments with help from Intel. These centres are intended to develop custom optimizations, facilitate proof-of-concept testing and integrate cybersecurity best practices in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) is partnering with Intel. The two announced a cloud application testing cluster that includes more than 1,000 Xeon processor-based server nodes designed to provide developers with the opportunity to test applications at larger scales.
Finally Intel is expanding its Cloud Builders program to include SDI use cases and accelerate ecosystem optimization efforts for Infrastructure-as-a-Service orchestration and automation. Meanwhile, the new Storage Builders program also aims to accelerate cloud-ready, next-generation storage solutions by matchmaking inside the cloud ecosystem. Intel currently has more than 300 member companies across its cloud, storage and network builders programs.
Intel SSDs
Intel unveiled new solid state drives (SSDs) optimized for the Xeon E5-2600 v4 line to support this cloud push. The Intel SSD DC P3320 and P3520 Series are the first Intel SSDs to use 3D NAND technology density.
The new Intel SSD DC D3700 and D3600 Series are also Intel’s first dual-port PCI Express SSDs using the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) protocol. The dual-port design provides redundancy and failover, safeguarding against data loss in mission-critical storage deployments.
Intel also announced a range of new SSDs designed for enterprise deployments and consumer applications, and the first drive in a new line of SSDs targeted at the Internet of Things market.
The newly announced SSDs are:
- Intel SSD DC S3100 Series: An entry-level SSD designed for cloud and data centre deployments.
- Intel SSD 540s Series and Intel SSD Pro 5400s Series: The newest additions to Intel’s consumer and professional SSD families.
- Intel SSD E 5400s and E 5410s Series: The first in a new line targeted at embedded and IoT applications such as smart signage, ATMs, and point-of-sale devices.