Sun eyes throughput-computing push

Sun is set to begin a major push to improve computing throughput with the release of systems based on its eight-core Niagara processor in the first quarter of next year. Analysts say the systems, which are designed for multi-threaded, Web-facing workloads, such as security processing, could give Sun the edge it's looking for to reinvigorate its Sparc-based line of servers.

Sparc lifted Sun's fortunes during the dot-com boom, but since then, the company has had to shift gears as enterprise customers moved away from buying big pricey boxes in favor of smaller, less expensive standards-based systems. In the past year or so, Sun has focused on the low end, announcing a close partnership with AMD.

Sun is preparing to roll out its Opteron-based Galaxy line of servers in coming months. At the same time, the company continues to improve its high-end systems and is preparing for several new Sparc product launches, including systems based on an updated UltraSparc chip and Niagara.

The struggling server maker posted another quarter of revenue decline last week: Its fourth-quarter revenue was just less than $3 billion, down 4.3% from the fourth quarter a year ago. Sun says a more diversified server portfolio aimed to meet different business needs will help get its financials back on track.

Last year, Sun took its first step to improve computing throughput, in which single chips handle multiple tasks simultaneously, by introducing systems based on UltraSparc IV, a dual-core, dual-threaded architecture. Niagara, which includes technology from Afara Websystems, acquired by Sun in 2002, takes the multi-tasking story further, with each of the eight cores able to handle four application threads.

In addition, with each core running at a lower frequency, Niagara can offer more processing power at a lower wattage, meaning less heat output and power demands than other servers, says Jeff O'Neal, director of engineering in Sun's scalable systems group.

"There is too much power being dissipated for the amount of performance you're getting out of today's data centers," O'Neal says. "What we're looking at is helping data center managers out of their jam by applying technology to the problem."

The key benefit of high-throughput computing is that it "hides memory latency," O'Neal says.

"In a typical architecture, when you have a cache miss or stall, the pipeline doesn't do anything. It waits. Whereas here, if the pipeline stalls, we just say, 'That's fine. We've got other threads lined up and shoot them through,' " he says.

Niagara has the potential to trigger growth of the Sparc Solaris line, says Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight64.

"IT managers more than ever are really feeling the pressure from the heat today's chips put out and the power they are consuming," he says. "If Niagara really can handle the workload of multiple Sun Opteron systems or Dell Xeon systems with less power consumed and less heat kicked out, I think that would attract new customers."

Sun also plans to begin shipping systems based on UltraSparc IV+ by year-end.