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Intel ready with low-power server chips

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
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Tom Krazit

On Monday, Intel plans to start shipping a new version of its quad-core Xeon processor that will consume just 50 watts under peak loads.

The company outlined plans for the chips last week at a briefing for the press in San Francisco. The two chips are a lot cooler than Intel's other quad-core processors, which are rated at 80 watts and 120 watts, allowing them to be used in denser servers.

Advanced Micro Devices also ships a line of energy-efficient server processors that are rated at 68 watts of power consumption under maximum conditions. Performance-per-watt is all the rage these days in the server market as IT departments realize the impact on their electric bills by the power-hungry servers of a few years ago.