Orion
Multisystems DS-96 Efficeon Cluster Workstation
Fresh from the
announcement that the Transmeta TM8600 Efficeon processor has been adopted for
the new Amoi NBPC V3 notebook, comes word that the 1.4GHz Efficeon CPU will also
be making its debut in a clustered workstation from
Orion Multisystems.
The Orion DS-96 deskside
Cluster Workstation will include 96 nodes with 300 Gflops peak performance, up
to 192GB of memory and up to 9.6TB of storage space when it is released in
October 2004. This clustered PC will consume than 1500 watts even with its 96
Transmeta Efficeon processors, and remains small enough to fit underneath a
desk.
According to the manufacturer;
"Orion Cluster Workstations are a new category of computer systems that
implement cluster technology to provide performance unmatched in a desktop and
deskside form factor."
Furthermore, Orion
Multisystem's "Cluster Workstations address an important need in research and
industry for very high performance computers that can process intensive
applications in a standard, small footprint system that can operate in a
standard office environment."
Traditionally, clustered
computing has required more space, elaborate cooling mechanism, and larger power
draws. Transmeta first made a name for itself when it released the low-power
Crusoe processor, and followed through on that energy efficent trend with its
Efficeon series. The low-wattage Efficeon processors slated to be used in the
Orion DS-96 "require no active cooling" and have a small footprint for compact
systems like this Cluster Workstation.
According to Orion, the DS-96
adheres to industry standards such as: X86-compatibility, Linux Operating
System, and parallel programming libraries. In addition to the Orion DS-96, the
company has also announced that it will be introducing the Orion DT-12 desktop
Cluster Workstation. The DT-12 will have 12 nodes with 36 Gflops peak
performance, support up to 24GB of DDR memory and 1TB storage. The DT-12 version
draws just 220 watts, and should be scalable to 48 nodes.
Other features of the DS-96
include hardwired GbE 'network fabric' CD/DVD-RW, USB port, status and
performance LED's per node. The unit measures 17" wide, 27" tall, 25" dee,
weighs 150LBs, and at peek power draws 1500Watts. Noise levels hover around the
50 dBA mark, and price is sure to be significant.
