Microsoft Deploys IBM iDataPlex System

IBM has announced that Microsoft plans to implement IBM’s iDataPlex system, a new category of server developed by IBM for internet-scale computing. IBM also introduced a new high performance computing option for iDataPlex, to bring supercomputing power to Cloud environments.

iDataPlex helps relieve massive, sprawled out data centers that are pushing the limits of power and space available to them. Designed to increase compute density while decreasing energy consumption and associated data center costs, iDataPlex uses 40% less power and increases by five-times the amount of computing done in the same space. iDataPlex also uses all industry-standard components as well as open source software such as Linux to lower costs.

The High Performance Computing product unit within Microsoft’s Windows Server Group is leveraging IBM iDataPlex systems for internal benchmarking of their cluster computing operating system, Windows HPC Server 2008.

IBM has expanded its new iDataPlex line of servers with high performance options that will allow the system to pack 145 teraflops (145 trillion operations per second) of compute power in a 315-square-foot area.

IBM also expanded interconnect options for iDataPlex with InfiniBand switches from Voltaire and QLogic, InfiniBand adapters from Mellanox, Fiber Channel adapters from Emulex, and 10G Ethernet switches from Blade Network Technologies, SMC, Cisco, and Force 10.