重大顛覆性的機(jī)會(huì)并不常有，它不會(huì)沒事從天上掉下來(lái)。也別期待ARM與英特爾(Intel)之間很快會(huì)展開什么大規(guī)模的激烈競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。例如，在邁向基于ARM架構(gòu)服務(wù)器的這條發(fā)展道路，目前看來(lái)比原先預(yù)期的更漫長(zhǎng)也更險(xiǎn)峻。 兩年前，ARM與其合作伙伴擘劃了大舉進(jìn)軍云端運(yùn)算市場(chǎng)的愿景，然而，在這個(gè)領(lǐng)域中，英特爾以其 Xeon處理器持據(jù)占據(jù)主導(dǎo)地位。 Applied Micro公司在2011年ARM Tech上大張旗鼓地推出其基于64位ARM核心的XGene系列SoC。不久之后，從AMD到三星等一連串ARM合作伙伴均紛紛計(jì)劃或悄悄地加速成立其ARM服務(wù)器設(shè)計(jì)團(tuán)隊(duì)。 惠普公司(HP)日前表示該公司已經(jīng)推出分別配置Applied、Calxeda與德州儀器(TI)基于ARM架構(gòu)芯片的服務(wù)器主板，預(yù)計(jì)將在明年出貨。而惠普的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手戴爾(Dell)也積極打造ARM架構(gòu)服務(wù)器原型，使得這一處境更加晦暗不明。 戴爾平臺(tái)技術(shù)與架構(gòu)資深總監(jiān)Robert Hormuth指出，基于ARM架構(gòu)的服務(wù)器“可望在2014年年底或2015年上市”。 戴爾和惠普都表示，基于ARM架構(gòu)的系統(tǒng)將更集中于儲(chǔ)存等專用市場(chǎng)，而非主流的服務(wù)器市場(chǎng)。兩家公司已經(jīng)出貨采用Avoton的低功耗服務(wù)器了。Avoton是今年初才推出的英特爾第二代Atom服務(wù)器SoC。 然而，目前ARM所掌握的最新時(shí)機(jī)顯示，在ARM系統(tǒng)推出以前，英特爾將會(huì)先行布局新一代Atom服務(wù)器SoC。也就是說(shuō)，ARM架構(gòu)中先進(jìn)的產(chǎn)品如Applied的XGene可能必須與英特爾采用類似先進(jìn)外圍模塊與14nm制程制造的組件相互競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。Applied的XGene采用的是40nm 制程。 對(duì)于ARM陣營(yíng)來(lái)說(shuō)，更糟的是英特爾已經(jīng)透露一系列采用低功耗服務(wù)器SoC的計(jì)劃了，那不再是Atom，而是搭載其x86核心的最新一代Haswell微架構(gòu)SoC。有些分師已經(jīng)表示，這款Xeon級(jí)英特爾Broawell芯片很可能讓許多著眼于ARM服務(wù)器市場(chǎng)的公司計(jì)劃敗退。 這或許就能解釋Nvidia公司(十幾家ARM服務(wù)器SoC的支持廠商之一)為什么不再談2011年發(fā)布的“丹佛計(jì)劃”(Project Denver)了。同樣地，華為(Huawei)、高通(Qualcomm)與三星(Samsung)等公司悄悄地增強(qiáng)其ARM服務(wù)器團(tuán)隊(duì)，但卻對(duì)相關(guān)細(xì)節(jié)保持沉默。 博通公司(Broadcom)最近宣布其自定義的64位ARM核心與SoC。然而，就像Cavium對(duì)于其ARM架構(gòu)的Thunder芯片計(jì)劃一樣，這些公司據(jù)稱多半瞄準(zhǔn)于通訊設(shè)備，而非主流的服務(wù)器領(lǐng)域──至少目前看來(lái)如此。 因此，ARM看來(lái)不太可能在很短的時(shí)間找到什么令人刮目相看的方式來(lái)?yè)屨加⑻貭柕脑贫祟I(lǐng)域了。不過，對(duì)于ARM來(lái)說(shuō)，好消息是英特爾也未能在移動(dòng)領(lǐng)域展現(xiàn)任何具有突破性機(jī)會(huì)的跡象。 顛覆性的絕佳機(jī)會(huì)說(shuō)起來(lái)十分美好，但難以實(shí)現(xiàn)。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Susan Hong 參考英文原文：ARM Servers Face Long, Winding Road，by Rick Merritt

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{pagination} ARM Servers Face Long, Winding Road Rick Merritt, SiliconValley Bureau Chief Big, disruptive opportunities don't come along very often. Don't expect one anytime soon in the mega battle between ARM and Intel. For example, the road to ARM-based servers now looks longer and narrower than previously thought. Two years ago, ARM and its partners had visions of significantly encroaching on the cloud computing space Intel dominates with its Xeon processor Applied Micro launched to much fanfare its XGeneSoC based on a custom 64-bit ARM core at ARM Tech Con in 2011. Soon after, a laundry list of other ARM partners, from AMD to Samsung, tipped plans or quietly ramped up ARM server design teams. This week, Hewlett-Packard said it has server boards using ARM-based chips from Applied, Calxeda, and Texas Instruments running in the lab and will ship them next year. But HP rival Dell, which has also been prototyping ARM-based servers, added a little darker color to the situation. The ARM server launches "feel like the end of 2014 or early 2015," said Robert Hormuth, who is leading the investigations at Dell. Both Dell and HP say the ARM-based systems will target relatively narrowly focused markets such as storage rather than mainstream servers. Both companies already ship low-power servers using Avoton, Intel's second-generation Atom-based server SoClaunched earlier this year. The updated ARM timing means Intel will be able to field a whole new generation of the Atom server SoCs before ARM systems launch. That means leading-edge ARM products such as Applied'sXGene may have to compete with Intel parts using similarly advanced peripheral blocks and made in a 14nm process. Applied uses 40nm for its XGene. What's worse for the ARM camp is Intel has telegraphed plans for a low-power server SoC using, not Atom, but the new Haswell generation of its full blown x86 core. Some analysts are already saying the Xeon-class Intel Broadwell chip could sink the plans of many companies that had eyed a significant market for ARM-based servers. That might explain why Nvidia, one of a dozen ARM server SoC wannabes, has gone quiet about its Project Denver plans announced in January 2011. Similarly, Huawei, Qualcomm, and Samsung quietly ramped up ARM server teams but then kept mum about them. Broadcom recently announced its plans for a custom 64-bit ARM core and SoCs based on it. But like rival Cavium with its plans for an ARM-based Thunder chip, the companies are said to target communications gear as much as, if not more than, mainstream servers -- at least for now. So ARM is not likely to encroach on Intel's cloud territory in any significant way soon. The good news for ARM is Intel is not showing signs of a breakout opportunity in mobile either. Disruption is wonderful to talk about, but hard to do.