InformationWeek Stories by Chandler Harris

InformationWeek Stories by Chandler Harrishttp://www.informationweek.comInformationWeeken-usCopyright 2012, UBM LLC.2011-06-17T12:11:00ZSemiconductor Spending Boom Headed For FallGartner says capital spending will rise 10.2% this year, but an oversupply in the market will lead to slowdowns over the next two years.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230800138?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageWith semiconductor capital spending on track to increase 10.2% over 2010 to $44.8 billion this year, the market is posed for a decline in late 2012. This, in turn, is expected to lead to a decrease in semiconductor prices in 2013, according to Gartner. Semiconductor capital revenue--basically investment in manufacturing capability--is expected to slow over the next two years, gaining only 8.6% in 2012 and 1% in 2013. This is due to an oversupply of semiconductor supplies at foundry manufacturers, as well as a looming oversupply of semiconductors in the market and in foundries, forecast Gartner. Intel will be the top capital expenditure spender in 2011, followed by Samsung and TSMC, which each declined one spot. Global Foundries will move up to the fourth spot, as it aggressively ramps its project capacity. Hynix will maintain its position within the top five. Overall, the top five players will account for more than 50% of capital purchases this year. "Historically and moving into the future, the semiconductor industry is very cyclical," said Peter Middleton, analyst for Gartner, in an interview. "When there's a boom in demand, semiconductor manufacturing facilities go all out, which tends to produce the cheapest unit costs. Booms come to an end and tend to produce a cyclical downturn, and we project that will continue into 2013." The current boom cycle of the semiconductor market is being driven by aggressive foundry spending, integrated device manufacturer (IDM) logic capacity, and memory companies gearing up for double patterning, or producing chips at the 32-nm scale. In 2009, global semiconductor revenue <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/224200736 ">fell by 10.5%</a> from 2008, but rebounded in 2010, according to Gartner. Yet, beginning next year, semiconductor capital equipment spending will decline by 2.6%. In late 2013, the beginning of the next cyclical decline should begin as the impact of oversupply takes its toll. This is expected to drive down prices for semiconductors. The Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami did little to disrupt the manufacturing and supply chain of the worldwide semiconductor market, due primarily to a reserve supply of semiconductors, Middleton said. However, the country may struggle with long-term semiconductor demands as it readjusts its power needs away from nuclear power. "I think long term, (Japan) has to take a look at how they can fill in the loss of some of their nuclear capabilities," Middleton said. "We mention this because the electronic industry is dependent on stable electrical power to the extent the electrical policy could shape production." Worldwide wafer fab equipment revenue is expected to grow this year by 11.7%, which is being driven by Intel, foundry companies, and continuing investments in NAND flash. Intel <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/portable/229401639 ">announced a partnership</a> earlier this year with Micron Technology called IM Flash Technologies, which is shrinking the size of NAND flash memory to 20 nanometers, which will make it possible to boost storage in smartphones and tablets while taking up less space on circuit boards. IM expects to begin mass production in the second half of this year. IT teams areas are packing more information on fewer devices, delivering faster throughput while using less space and power, and managing the needs of more applications with fewer people. Our new report shows how smart CIOs will accelerate this trend by adopting new multipurpose arrays and converged networks. <a href="http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=188100011&cat=whitepaper">Download our report here</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-06-17T11:22:00ZARM Edges Into Enterprise ServersCalxeda's Trailblazer Initiative has lined up 10 "big data" partners on an ecosystem to close ARM's gap with Intel in the enterprise server space.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230800137?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageWhile low-power ARM-based processors dominate the mobile chipset market, they have yet to achieve widespread deployment in the enterprise server space, where Intel owns a majority of the market. Calxeda, a producer of data center server processors, is attempting to close this gap by launching the Trailblazer Initiative, aimed at creating an "ARM ecosystem." The new initiative was created with 10 other vendors who have a stake in the matter, all of whom focus on cloud computing and "big data" scalable analytic solutions, the company said. Calxeda, founded in August 2010, says there is a "significant industry interest" in its ARM-based servers. The Trailblazer initiative was created due to a demand from customers and partners to get its chips into servers and data centers, the company said. "We see Trailblazer as a critical step in the evolution of this marketplace, and are thrilled by the support we are receiving from the community to help it materialize," said Barry Evans, Calxeda's CEO, in a release. "The data center energy crisis is real, and the faster we can help our system vendors and partners get complete solutions in our customers' hands, the faster we can help them save money, and reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint." Calxeda will provide Trailblazer partners and end users with access to hardware, operating system software, tools, applications, and joint sales and marketing. The software partners involved are promised updates on benchmarking and other technical information as the technology matures. Other founding members of the Trailblazer Initiative include Autonomic Resources, Canonical, Caringo, Couchbase, Datastax, Eucalyptus Systems, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/virtualization/227701193">Gluster</a>, Momentum SI, Opscode, and Pervasive. However, Intel maintains a strong hold on the server processor market, with most major server manufacturers using Intel's chips. Major server vendors have either completed or are undergoing <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229401101">equipment refreshes</a> to accommodate Intel's latest Xeon E7 processors that provide up to 10 cores per processor. HP and Supermicro are among the first to max out the E7's power in 80-core, eight-socket servers. Other vendors, such as Cisco and Dell, are producing four-socket systems with up to 40 cores. Intel's Atom processors are also being used <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/229402488">in servers</a>. One of the primary setbacks ARM-based processors have when it comes to breaking into the server market is the fact they only support 32-bit architecture, while many servers support the 64-bit architecture, especially when it comes to virtualization. With enterprises moving 20% to 30% of servers to a virtualized architecture, Calxeda and its supports have a difficult challenge ahead, said Sergis Mushell, principal analyst for Gartner. Plus, ARM should be a collaborator he said. "For this to be successful and have the momentum required it should inevitably be something driven by ARM and we would need to see more major vendors on the server side," Mushell said. "It's a market dominated by Intel and the total available market is not that big." Data centers face increased resource demands and flat budgets. In this report, we show you steps you can take today to squeeze more from what you have, and also provide guidance on building a next-generation data center. <a href="http://analytics.informationweek.com/abstract/6/6654/Data-Center/research-2011-state-of-the-data-center.html?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe">Download it now</a>. 2011-06-14T11:50:00ZDot Hill Mounts 3 TB Storage For SMBsThe entry-level AssuredSAN 3000 Series storage array systems scale up to 288 terabytes of storage, bundle disaster recovery software.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230600104?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storage <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/hardware/reviews/229300081?pgno=69"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/605/Dot_Hill_2U12_tn2.jpg" alt="Dot Hill AssuredSAN 3000 Series Storage Array" title="Dot Hill AssuredSAN 3000 Series Storage Array" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view) <div class="storyImageTitle">Dot Hill AssuredSAN 3000 Series Storage Array</div> </div>  Dot Hill Systems on Monday updated its entry-level storage array to include 3-terabyte disk drives. The AssuredSAN 3000 Series systems, which were first introduced last September, can now scale to a total of 288 terabytes of storage through "just a bunch of disks" (JBOD) expansion units, or hard disks that haven't been configured according to the RAID system. The storage arrays offer support for 8-Gb Fibre Channel storage area networks (SANs) and 10-Gb iSCSI. Enhancements to the new series include drive spin-down capability and a 595-watt <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_PLUS">80 PLUS-rated</a> (greater than 80% energy efficiency) power supplies. The AssuredSAN 3000 Series includes product support software to protect against data loss, including AssuredSnap (snapshots), AssuredCopy (volume copy), and AssuredRemote (snapshot replication). The products also support mixed-drive configurations, including serial attached SCSI (SAS), serial ATA (SATA), and solid-state drive (SSD). The new storage array builds upon Dot Hill's growing storage product list. <a href="http://www.dothill.com/">Dot Hill</a> may not be a common name in the industry because for many years it has exclusively been an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for big name storage vendors HP, Dell, AMD, Motorola, and others. Yet in 2009, Dot Hill Systems began selling its storage products directly and has since released numerous storage-related products. "The thing with being an OEM supplier is that it forces us to be on the cutting edge," said Jim Jonez, senior marketing director for Dot Hill Systems, in an interview. "We have to be a technology leader to be competitive as an OEM supplier. So this announcement today is that we are one of the first to bring this drive technology into this class of storage." Jonez claims the AssuredSAN 3000 Series is one of the first to bring up to 36 TB of data capacity in a 2U entry-level system, with the AssuredSAN 300 Series of storage arrays. Last year, Dot Hill was first to market with an 8-GB Fiber Channel interface, an 8-GB fiber, and iSCSI hybrid interface, and a 10-GB iSCSI interface, Jonez said. The AssuredSAN 3000 Series provides a modular storage solution designed to provide small and midsize businesses with an easy way to migrate from physical servers with direct attached storage to a consolidated IT infrastructure. The modularity has a management interface that provides a straightforward tool to configure access to the storage array that includes RAID controllers, host interfaces, chassis, power supplies, and drive options are all modular components. It also includes Dot Hill's AssuredRemote software that provides array-to-array remote replication that reproduce up to 1,000 snapshots per storage array for <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/whitepaper/Services/Disaster-Recovery/understanding-the-importance-of-a-disaster-recove-wp1258040826190">disaster-recovery protection</a> and business continuity. A dual-controller AssuredSAN 3730 Fibre Channel model populated with new 3-TB drives is expected to sell for approximately $15,960. Network Computing has published an in-depth report on deduplication and disaster recovery. <a href="http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=186600006&cat=whitepaper">Download the report here</a> (registration required).2011-06-13T13:22:00ZNvidia Adds Baseband Processors With Icera AcquisitionIcera's baseband processors for 3G and 4G smartphones and tablets, combined with Nvidia's Tegra 2 applications processor, extends the chip maker's reach in the OEM mobile market.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230600091?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageNvidia on Monday completed the acquisition of Icera, a producer of baseband processors for 3G and 4G smartphones and tablets. The $367 million acquisition was announced <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229403196">in May</a>. Now, Nvidia will leverage the acquisition to produce more integrated products for the OEM mobile market by producing the two most widely used mobile chips on the market--application and baseband processors. It will also help further Nvidia's position in the $15 billion-a-year baseband market--one of the fastest growing markets in the technology industry "Over time we do believe selling these two components together will have a huge synergy for both businesses and increase our opportunity to sell Integra and also allow us to penetrate this new baseband market," said Jeff Herbst, VP of business development at Nvidia, in an interview. Nvidia indicated that it expected no layoffs due to the acquisition and Icera will remain situated at its offices in the U.S. and Europe. While Nvidia has said it has no immediate plans to combine both processors onto a single integrated chip, Herbst said there is a possibility Nvidia may pursue this in the future. By selling both Icera's broadband processors and Nvidia's Tegra application processing chips, Nvidia expects to streamline operations, improve time to market, and double Nvidia's revenue opportunity within each phone or tablet computer, Herbst said. "Customers prefer to buy from one vendor to ensure all the software fits perfectly and everything is properly integrated--the OS is supported, the peripherals are supported--and clearly this gives us an advantage," Herbst said. Nvidia's acquisition was an important move, as the mobile processing marketplace is consolidating and Nvidia is playing catch up, according to Gartner. "It was almost a necessary move right now for Nvidia," said Sergis Mushell, principal analyst for Gartner, in an interview. "If you're going to combine applications processor with mobility, you need to have wireless connection technology, which is becoming something everybody is seeking. Otherwise somebody with a complete solution will come in and take away market share." The acquisition helps Nvidia better compete against primary competitor Qualcomm, who already provides processing and modem chips for portable devices. Qualcomm and ST-Ericsson are expected to become the leading suppliers of cellular chipsets for LTE mobile devices over the next few years Nvidia's competitors are primarily Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom, which have been busy snatching up complementary businesses to offer comprehensive phone technologies, including application processors, RS, wireless connectivity (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS), and chips that combine the technologies. The consolidation includes Intel's acquisition of wireless semiconductor company <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/227101740">Infineon</a> in August for $1.4 billion. In March, Intel bought Silicon Hive, a company specializing in parallel processing designs, to help with its multimedia processing. Qualcomm filled its wireless connectivity shortcomings earlier this year with the purchase of Wi-Fi chipmaker <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229000141">Atheros Communications</a> for $3.1 billion. Qualcomm also purchased iSkoot, a mobile application services company. Also, Broadcom moved to stake out a position in 4G by <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/infrastructure/management/227701262"> acquiring Beceem Communications</a>, a leader in LTE and WiMax wireless technology. Icera shipped approximately 3 to 4 million baseband processors in 2009, which they believe gave them between 5 and 10% share of a roughly 45 million unit market for PC data, embedded data, and M2M modems, according to Strategy Analytics. Qualcomm led with a 90-95% share of the market in 2009. Worldwide cellular chipsets will grow at a 9.3% compound annual growth rate from 2009 to 2014, according to IDC. While cellular broadband applications made up less than 7% of this unit volume in 2009, this market will grow at a 35% CAGR to account for over 16% of total chipsets by 2013, far outpacing the growth in the mobile phone market. Innovative IT shops are turning the mobile device management challenge into a business opportunity--and showing that we can help people be more connected and collaborative, regardless of location. Read the new report from InformationWeek Analytics. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/tech-center/mobile-security/download?id=188500018&cat=whitepaper">Download it now</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-06-10T13:21:00ZFuture Of HDD Market Lies In Hybrid DrivesHybrid drives that combine legacy hard disk drives with NAND flash technology represent an opportunity for further growth, according to IDC.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230500259?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageThe hard disk drive market has revenue expansion opportunities over the next five years despite the growing popularity of solid-state drives and waning PC sales. Revenue for the HDD industry will increase from $33.4 billion in 2010 to $48.2 billion in 2015, according to International Data Corporation. Demand for HDDs will continue in traditional IT segments such as PCs. Growth will be driven by the expansion of public and private cloud storage infrastructure and demand for from consumers and small businesses for private or personal cloud storage, according to the market intelligence firm. Hybrid drives that combine legacy HDD storage with NAND flash technology, represent an opportunity for further growth. "I still think HDDs will be relevant over the next five years, but it's not going to provide double digit growth and because of that, vendors need to look at other opportunities," said John Rydning, research director at IDC, in an interview. "One of them is to combine the characteristics of NAND flash technology with rotating disk technology." The SSD market is growing with the increase in flash-based storage devices like smartphones and tablets. Gartner anticipates the SSD market to grow from $994 million in 2010 to $4.2 billion in 2015, with about 1.3 million SSD units shipped in 2010, to an expected 9.4 million units shipped in 2015. This growth is fueled by the increasing use of SSDs, which consume less power than hard-disk drives and allow quicker access to information. "With a hybrid storage drive, the device uses an algorithm to identify the most frequently and commonly accessed files and intelligently pins that content to the NAND flash memory in the drive," Rydning said. "When the host device requests that same content, the hybrid storage drive avoids the latency inherent with HDDs and delivers the requested content quickly from the NAND flash." However, having the right algorithm that adjusts to program and data usage is the primary obstacle. In fact, that was what killed earlier version of hybrid drives. In 2007, the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/196801096 ">Hybrid Storage Alliance </a> was formed by Fujitsu, Hitachi, Samsung Electronics, Seagate Technology, and Toshiba, in order to promote the technology. The first hybrid drives were linked to Windows Vista's ReadyDrive, which handled the processing and categorization of the NAND flash. However, when Vista was replaced by Window's 7, the ReadyDrive support was nixed and many hybrid drives were discontinued Last year, Seagate introduced its <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/225200016">hybrid Momentus XT </a>, a 2.5-inch drive that combines a 4 GB SSD with a HDD and is available in capacities of 250 GB, 320 GB, and 500 GB. The drive has been very successful and Seagate anticipates that in five years, 80% of drives shipped will be hybrid drives, said Jim Handy, analyst with Objective Analysis, in an interview. "With the hybrid drive market, what we're expecting to see, once it catches on with users, it will become viral," Handy said. "Then it's a question of when do we reach that point. We expect it should happen next year." Objective Analysis forecasts the hybrid HDD market will grow to 600 million units by 2016 with $34 billion in revenue. IT teams areas are packing more information on fewer devices, delivering faster throughput while using less space and power, and managing the needs of more applications with fewer people. Our new report shows how smart CIOs will accelerate this trend by adopting new multipurpose arrays and converged networks. <a href="http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=188100011&cat=whitepaper">Download our report here</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-06-10T13:00:00ZMeet Samsung's Monster 1 TB Laptop Hard DriveThe trend toward higher capacity hard disk drives continues in laptops, as evidenced by Samsung's SpinPoint M8.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230500210?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storage<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/mobility/smart_phones/224701523?pgno=69"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/428/M8_01_tn.jpg" alt="Samsung SpinPoint M8 1-TB HDD" title="Samsung SpinPoint M8 1-TB HDD" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view) <div class="storyImageTitle">Samsung SpinPoint M8 1-TB HDD</div></div>On Wednesday, Samsung announced its SpinPoint M8, a 1-terabyte internal hard disk drive designed for laptops that supports the trend toward higher capacity HDDs in laptops. The high-capacity drive features two 500-GB platters and is 0.37 inches high, allowing it to fit easily into the small storage bays in laptops. Samsung says the high density of the drive was achieved through advanced format technology (AFT), which raises the data storage density per unit area and enables efficient data storage. Samsung reduced the number of components such as disks and heads, which contributes approximately 7% increase in operation speeds and 8% decline in power demand than its previous drives. The drive operates at 3 gigabits per second SATA interface, provides an 8-MB buffer memory, and has minimal noise levels and shock resistance. "The new Spinpoint M8 lineup supports the ongoing growth curve for high-density data storage densities, especially as it raises the bar to exceed terabyte density levels in the mobile computing space," said C.H. Lee, VP of storage strategic marketing for Samsung, in a release. Spinpoint M8 is currently in mass production and available worldwide with the 1-TB drive that sells for $129. Many high-end laptops today come with hard-drive capacity of up to 750 GB. Apple's MacBook Pros have 750 GB of storage and HP offers 750 GB of storage per slot in its <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/220000634">Envy laptops </a>. Samsung's rival in the HDD space, Western Digital, introduced a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/portable/218700102">1-TB hard drive</a> for laptops in 2009. The demand for storage space is increasing, for both consumers and the enterprise. IDC <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/systems/230100010"> reported</a> that year-over-year revenue growth for disk storage systems was 13.2%, totaling just under $5.6 billion in the first quarter of 2011. The total disk storage systems capacity shipped was 4,956 petabytes, a growth of 46.3% year over year. The growth is being driven in large part by the increasing creation of digital information, in particular the next-generation of "fixed" digital content like videos and images, according to IDC. As the volume of corporate data continues to grow, IT pros keep investing in new storage usage technologies. Compression still ranks No. 1, according to InformationWeek Analytics' 2010 Data Deduplication Survey, though respondents rely increasingly on dedupe, as well as thin provisioning and MAID. <a href="http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=187100027&cat=whitepaper">Download it here</a> (registration required).2011-06-09T15:07:00ZICube Produces Unified Android Tablet ChipThe Harmony Unified Processor architecture combines the CPU and GPU into one unified core, the China-based semiconductor maker claims.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230500182?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageICube Technology, a two-year old semiconductor company based in China, says it has produced a new chip for Android tablets that combines the central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU), into one unified core. The technology, dubbed the Harmony Unified Processor architecture, has been produced and is ready for packaging, the company said. It expects to ship the processors by the end of this year. The Harmony Unified Processing Architecture consists of a Multi-Thread Virtual Pipeline parallel computing core, an independent instruction set architecture (ISA), an optimizing compiler, and the Agile Switch dynamic load balancer, the company said. "Developing our own intellectual property from the ground up has been a key differentiation of ICube from other technology companies in China," said Simon Moy, chief technical officer of ICube, in a release. "This provides us with much greater areas for innovation, enables us to leverage the latest semiconductor trends, and lowers the cost of our system-on-a-chip (SOC) products relative to other chipmakers. ICube is another example of an explosive CPU and GPU market in China where Chinese companies funded by the government seek to develop chip technology to provide a better value to the domestic market. "I think the take away from the China market is there are a huge number of Chinese companies looking at designing CPU and GPU architectures," said Sergis Mushell, principal analyst for Gartner, in an interview. "There is a lot of developing going on in China right now. I hear at least one new name on a monthly basis." ICube doesn't reveal the licensing architecture of the chips, nor does it reveal customers. It says it is the first Chinese manufacturer to produce a chip with multi-core processors based on parallel computing with advanced simultaneously-multi-threading (SMT) design technique. However, ICube's chips are based on the older 65 nm structure, which was <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/206100647">phased out by Intel in 2008</a>. The ICube team is comprised of a mixture of Silicon Valley veterans and engineers from China. CTO Moy has 20 years of experience in the field, having worked at Nvidia as a principal engineer working on the hardware design of the vertex shaders and stream processors in several generations of GPUs. Prior to that, he worked at Silicon Graphics, IBM, and LSI Logic. The <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/tablets/229402946">worldwide tablet </a> market is currently dominated by Apple's iPads, which hold 82% of the market share, according to research from Nielson. The rest of the market, which includes the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy, only hold 18% of the tablet market. However, the tablet market in China is expected to be significant. In-Stat <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/handheld/225600040"> released a report</a> forecasting that by 2014, sales of tablet computers in China could exceed 7 million and show 10-fold growth. This market potential likely factored into Dell's announcement that will launch its <a href="http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2011/06/08/dell-streak-10-pro-coming-to-china.aspx">10-inch Streak 10 Pro tablet</a> later this summer in the Chinese market first, instead of releasing it in the U.S. and Europe. The company didn't say whether weak tablet sales in the U.S. and Europe had anything to do with this decision. Rather, it says it wants to use what it learns in China to shape the mobile products it will offer in the future. "In China in particular, we're currently number two in the Chinese PC market and we're seeing a significant increase in the number of small and medium-business users, who are adopting mobility products as part of their growth plans," wrote Amit Midha, Dell president for China and South Asia, in a blog post. "In Q1, our revenue from China grew 22%." Vendors are fighting it out in the market for integrated network, computer, and storage systems. In the new all-digital issue of Network Computing, we go ringside to help you pick a winner. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/nwcdigital/may11/index.jhtml?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the issue now</a>. (Free with registration.)2011-06-09T11:09:00ZApple Bounds To Top Semiconductor BuyerThe company spent nearly 80% more on chips last year to meet demand for its consumer products, and now consumes 30% of all NAND flash memory in the world, reports IHS iSuppli.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230500120?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storage<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/personal-tech/tablets/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300841"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/606/Front_Page_tn.jpg" width="175" alt="Apple iPad 2 3G Teardown" title="Apple iPad 2 3G Teardown" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view) <div class="storyImageTitle">Slideshow: Apple iPad 2 3G Teardown</div> </div>Popularity of iPhone and iPad devices has driven Apple to become the largest buyer of semiconductors among all original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the first time, according to a report by IHS iSuppli. In 2010, Apple bought $17.5 billion worth of semiconductors, a staggering 79.6% increase from $9.7 billion in 2009. This was unsurprisingly the highest rate of increase among the world's top 10 OEM semiconductor buyers, allowing Apple to rise up two positions to take the No. 1 rank in 2010. Worldwide <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229402325">semiconductor revenue</a> reached $299.4 billion in 2010, an increase of $70.7 billion, or 30.9% from 2009, according to a report by Gartner. The rise in revenue was due to a sudden increase in demand as the semiconductor industry was forced to ramp up production. Apple's semiconductor spending is largely in NAND flash, which is used in iPods, iPhones, and iPads, as well as other tablets and phones, for computing and storage needs. Apple was also the world's top purchaser of NAND flash in 2010. "Apple spent $4.7 billion last year on NAND flash and will spend an estimated $6.4 billion on NAND flash this year," said Wenlie Ye, an IHS iSuppli analyst, in an interview. "With $6.4 billion NAND flash purchased out of about 187 companies in the world that purchase it, Apple accounts for about 30 to 35% of all NAND flash memory consumption." HP was the second leading buyer of semiconductors in the world at just under $15 billion, while Samsung was third at around $14 billion. They were followed by Dell, Nokia, Sony, Cisco, Panasonic, LG Electronics, and Toshiba. Apple's strength derives from its product ecosystem that synergistically connects its different devices through its iTunes and iOS. Because of this, users of the Apple ecosystem find increasing value from each additional Apple device they buy and have little interest in leaving the Apple realm, Ye said. This gives the company a distinct advantage over Apple rivals HP and Dell. "Apple's surge to the top as the world's largest OEM semiconductor buyer further confirms the connected devices evolution, where formerly independent hardware devices, such as TVs, PCs, and handsets, are now needed to be linked together to a common ecosystem to be highly successful," Ye said. "Apple is currently leading this evolution, but competition is heating up on the horizon with many different OEMs looking to build their respective device and media ecosystems." Plus, the iPad remains the top selling tablet, with more than 20 million sold since it was launched in April, 2010. However, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/230200053">sales of tablets</a> declined by about 10% since early March of this year, although the iPad held the top spot, according to J.P. Morgan. The recent Android 3.0 "Honeycomb"-based Motorola Xoom tablet has had <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/tablets/229401046">disappointing sales</a>, as have the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Asustek Eee Pad Transformer, and RIM PlayBook, according to J.P. Morgan. The global NAND flash memory market is expected to grow 18% this year to reach $22.0 billion in revenue, according to IHS iSuppli. Last year, the NAND flash market revenue climbed 38% to reach $18.7 billion, which was primarily caused by the success of the iPad, HIS iSuppli said. In the new, all-digital InformationWeek Healthcare: iPads are leading a new wave of devices into the exam room. Are security, tech support, and infection control up to the task? <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/052311HC/index.jhtml?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download it now</a>. (Free registration required.) 2011-06-08T13:40:00ZARM Updates Processor Interface ProtocolAMBA 4 specification supports multicore computing through system-level cache coherency across clusters of processors.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230500047?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageProcessor maker ARM announced Tuesday the next generation of its interface and protocol specification, AMBA 4, which enables system-level cache coherency that supports communications between cores. AXI Coherency Extensions (ACE) enable the AMBA 4 protocol to support multicore computing through system-level cache coherency across clusters of multicore processors, such as the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229401983">ARM Cortex-A15</a> and Mali-T604 graphics processors. Through ACE, AMBA 4 enables coherency that maintains the consistency of data stored in local caches as a shared resource. This helps multicore computing applications to efficiently maintain the consistency of data stored in local caches of a shared resource. The AMBA 4 helps increase performance and power efficiency of complex heterogeneous system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs, and is designed to address next-generation computing across mobile, home, networking, and gaming applications, ARM stated. "What we have done is create coherency in dedicated hardware and that means the software community has a more standard way of programming for CPUs and graphics processor engines for a compute subsystem comprising GPUs and CPUs," said Michael Dimelow, director of marketing for ARM, in an interview. AMBA is a standard on-chip interconnect methodology that is supported by a majority of the digital electronics industry. The standardized interface allows compatibility between Internet protocol components from different design teams or vendors. The AMBA 4 specification was driven by a group of semiconductor, electronic design automation, and verification vendors, including Arteris, Cadence, Jasper, Marvell, Mentor, Sonics, ST Ericsson, Synopsys, and Xilinx. The introduction of memory barriers throughout the memory subsystem allows system architects to provide optimal instruction ordering to improve system performance. Distributed virtual memory signaling extends memory virtualization--introduced with the latest ARM architecture and the Cortex-A15 processor--to the system memory management units to make more efficient use of external memory and provide the ability for multiple operating systems to share hardware resources under an appropriate hypervisor. "Whenever there is an opportunity to move a labor-intensive function into the dedicated hardware, then we try to encourage industry to do that," Dimelow said. "The way we do that is through specifications like AMBA to encourage people to implement those labor-saving functions into hardware." The latest specification is the second phase of the AMBA 4 protocol. Phase one was launched in 2010 and included a definition of an expanded family of AXI interconnect protocols. So far, more than 4,000 engineers from 2,500 unique businesses and organizations have downloaded the first phase, ARM stated. "Marvell has been an active contributor to the standardization of hardware coherency within the AMBA 4 specification," said Hongyi Chen, VP of engineering in processor design at Marvell Semiconductor, in a statement. "A key benefit of AMBA 4 ACE is the provision of a development ecosystem with a standard protocol that makes future hardware design far easier. This protocol enables transparent management of cache coherency that removes a significant burden from software engineers." Last year Marvell <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/227500683">introduced</a> a triple-core ARM processor for smartphones and tablet computers that the company claims has the horsepower to drive full high-definition 3-D video while maintaining long battery life. ARM's chips are currently used in most of the world's smartphones and tablets, with ARM licenses used by chipmakers Nvidia, Samsung, Texas Instruments, and Qualcomm. Many current smartphone and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229000922">tablet processors</a> are derived from ARMs current Cortex-A9 design. Smartphones and tablets will feature the ARM Cortex-A15 processor beginning in late 2012 or early 2013, according to ARM officials. Vendors are fighting it out in the market for integrated network, computer, and storage systems. In the new all-digital issue of Network Computing, we go ringside to help you pick a winner. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/nwcdigital/may11/index.jhtml?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the issue now</a>. (Free with registration.)2011-06-08T13:10:00ZDell Intros Storage Hardware, Firmware UpdatesThe EqualLogic NAS, PowerVault storage arrays, and software update build upon Dell's fluid data architecture model for the data center.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230500031?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storage<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/hardware/reviews/229300081?pgno=67"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/605/EqualLogic_FS7500_3a_tn.jpg" alt="Dell EqualLogic FS7500 NAS" title="Dell EqualLogic FS7500 NAS" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view) <div class="storyImageTitle">Dell EqualLogic FS7500 NAS</div></div>Dell announced Tuesday new data management products aimed at furthering the company's presence in the enterprise data center. The Dell EqualLogic FS7500 network-attached storage (NAS), Dell PowerVault MD3600f/MD3620f storage arrays, and EqualLogic software are all part of Dell's ongoing push to provide comprehensive data storage solutions. "They're promoting very strongly the fact that Dell is no longer a reseller of storage, but they really have made significant adjustments in developing their own intellectual property in the storage market," said Roger Cox, research VP at Gartner, in an interview at the Dell Storage Forum where the new products were announced. "Storage is part of what they're trying to do as they integrate products in storage and networking management solutions to make them more competitive in the data center market." Dell has been busy integrating its acquisitions over the last few years into storage solutions and the recent announcements reflect it. Dell <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/202802668">acquired EqualLogic</a> in 2007 for $1.4 billion to increase its market share in the growing Internet storage market. The new EqualLogic FS7500 is a scalable NAS system that supports load balancing and multi-threading for fast I/O processing. The system is able to scale up to 510 TB in a single share, has scale-out common Internet file system and network file system support, and provides online and performance scaling for both file and block interfaces. "If you look at the overall industry, unstructured data growth and file data growth is very rapid and customers are looking for solutions to help them manage that growth," said Travis Vigil, executive director of product marketing for Dell enterprise storage, in an interview. "The FS7500 provides file capability for the EqualLogic product line focused on customers that are in dynamic, fast-growing environments and focused on ease of use." Dell is also upgrading its EqualLogic software to version 5.1, which has enhanced load balancing that automatically identifies and shifts storage arrays to balance data loads within an EqualLogic environment. It also has integration with VMware environments and support for iSCSI networking through data center bridging. "It's a significant increase in performance, since the exact same hardware infrastructure--if they upgrade ... firmware to 5.1--we've seen in the lab [giving] up to three-times increase in performance," Vigil said. The new Dell PowerVault MD3600f and 3620f storage arrays have up to 8-Gb Fibre Channel ports, up to 96 additional hard drives and can mix solid-state drives, serial-attached SCSI (SAS), nearline SAS, and self-encrypting drives. The EqualLogic FS7500 will be shipping and the EqualLogic firmware release 5.1 will be available for download from the EqualLogic support site in the third quarter of 2011. Dell PowerVault MD3600f and MD3620f arrays will be available June 14. Dell will continue to build upon a more unified data center architecture that seamlessly integrates its products into the data center. This past February, Dell <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/systems/228800289">acquired Compellent</a>, which gave the company a multiprotocol tiered storage area network product line to compete against HP, EMC, IBM, and others. In the months ahead Dell will continue to update its Compellent line with new automated tiering architecture and data deduplication, Vigil said. "We have this vision that we refer to as the <a href="http://www.dellstorage.com/dell-compellent-storage-center.aspx">fluid data architecture</a>," Vigil said. "That is really a vision where you can start tiering and moving data from different products based on difference use cases and the importance of data in a given customer environment." As the volume of corporate data continues to grow, IT pros keep investing in new storage usage technologies. Compression still ranks No. 1, according to InformationWeek Analytics' 2010 Data Deduplication Survey, though respondents rely increasingly on dedupe, as well as thin provisioning and MAID. <a href="http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=187100027&cat=whitepaper">Download it here</a> (registration required).2011-06-08T12:19:00ZIntel Factory Explosion Injures SevenThe small blast occurred in an Arizona semiconductor plant being readied for 22-nm chip production.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230500104?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageA small explosion erupted Wednesday at Intel's Fab 22 plant, a semiconductor manufacturing facility located near Chandler, Ariz., injuring seven workers. The blast occurred shortly after 2 p.m. local time, injuring four workers who were taken to local hospitals with injuries ranging from concussions to shrapnel wounds, said Chandler fire department battalion chief Brad Miller, as <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/07/intel-arizona-blast-idUSN0717769320110607">reported by Reuters</a>. Three others were less seriously hurt and treated at the scene. The Fab 22 plant has been undergoing upgrades to support production of 22-nanometer chip fabrication, which Intel is developing for its upcoming <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229402784">Tri-Gate transistors</a>. The blast occurred in a solvent treatment room, which Intel uses to carry out parts of its semiconductor manufacturing process. Toxic and flammable compounds that are used in semiconductor manufacturing include concentrated hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and ammonium hydroxide. It is believed that the workers were just starting to treat a batch of solvents when the explosion occurred. The plant and adjacent multi-story building were evacuated of several hundred employees and will remain closed indefinitely while the cause of the explosion is investigated. "Until we identify everything involved, there's no way we can say when people will be back to work," said Miller, Reuters reported. He added that the 10 other buildings on the campus remained open. It has not yet been determined what caused the explosion, but Intel is investigating the situation. "We're trying to ascertain what happened. All we know is that there was no damage or release of chemicals to the community," said Josh Walden, Intel's VP and general manager for fab sort manufacturing, in a statement. Fire suppression measures at the plant worked as designed and limited the damage, Walden said. Intel has not assessed the damage to the plant and said, other than the temporary evacuation, there was no disruption to manufacturing. "They're all back in the production facility and there was disruption to the process," Walden said. The Chandler plant is heavily automated and the explosion reportedly had no effect on chip production in other parts of the plant, even though the factory was evacuated as a safety precaution. Intel employs more than 10,000 people at the 705-acre Ocotillo Campus in Chandler. The chipmaker spent billions upgrading and combining the Fab 22 and Fab 32 plants earlier this year to have them produce new Intel chips, like the Tri-Gate. Intel announced in February it will build a $5 billion Fab 42 plant in Chandler that will be the highest-volume chip plant in the world. Construction is set to begin soon and be completed in 2013, <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2011/02/18/intel-to-invest-more-than-5b-in-new.html">reported</a> the Phoenix Business Journal. IT teams areas are packing more information on fewer devices, delivering faster throughput while using less space and power, and managing the needs of more applications with fewer people. Our new report shows how smart CIOs will accelerate this trend by adopting new multipurpose arrays and converged networks. <a href="http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=188100011&cat=whitepaper">Download our report here</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-06-07T11:54:00ZStartup Aims To Cut Chip Power Needs In HalfSuVolta’s new processor designs call for 50% power savings compared to traditional chips, with an eye toward phones, tablets, and laptops.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230200069?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageStart-up SuVolta came out of stealth mode Monday to announce a new microprocessor design that reduces power consumption by up to 50% or more while maintaining the same performance levels of conventional microprocessors. The <a href="http://www.suvolta.com/">SuVolta PowerShrink</a> platform minimizes the electrical variation of the millions of transistors on a chip. When processors are made smaller, the transistors require different voltage levels, which cause power leakage and reduced power efficiency. Yet with the SuVolta PowerShrink, manufacturers can regulate the voltage levels by reorienting the channels between chip transistors, which reduces power leaks, said Bruce McWilliams, CEO of SuVolta, in an interview. "What we developed is a new way to make that transistor channel that fixes the problem of voltage and controls power leakage," McWilliams said. "The reason it is such a big deal is the way we fixed it creates a two times reduction of power but maintains the same processing speed." If SuVolta's claims are true, this could be a significant technology achievement in semiconductors that are used in phones, tablets, and portable PCs since it would help extend battery life. The reason chips using ARM-based architecture have dominated the mobile phone and tablet markets is due to their relatively low power consumption and strong performance. SuVolta will sell a PowerShrink license to semiconductor companies. Its first customer is Fujistu Semiconductor, who SuVolta partnered with to develop the technology at 65 nanometers. Both companies say they have verified substantial reductions in threshold voltage (VT) variation and have confirmed device functionality. "I think you're going to see many companies follow in Fujitsu's footsteps," McWilliams said. "You'll see more of the semiconductor ecosystem companies, including fabless semiconductor companies, working with us because we enable enormous value to all of them, because power is central to their needs. You'll most likely see more announcements from us coming soon." ARM would certainly be a great customer for SuVolta, but McWilliams wouldn't discuss whether SuVolta has been in negotiations with ARM. He did hint, however, that a SuVolta release that quotes an ARM official could be justifiable cause for speculation of future releases. "SuVolta's innovative PowerShrink platform offers a promising approach to extending the scaling of CMOS transistor technology," said Krisztian Flautner VP of research and development at ARM, in a SuVolta release. "The results could significantly lower power consumption in future high-performance, low-power chips." In another quote in the release, Pieter Vorenkamp, Broadcom's senior VP of operations engineering, said that the PowerShrink will have a "dramatic impact on the industry" because of the promise of reduced power consumption. Power consumption has been a hot topic for <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/227500683">semiconductor companies</a> looking to place their chips in mobile devices. Intel announced its Tri-Gate processor <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229402784">in May</a>, as a new 3-D microprocessor technology that allows devices with the chip to have lower active state power consumption, lower off-state power consumption, and higher performance. Attend Enterprise 2.0 Boston to see the latest social business tools and technologies. Register with code CPBJEB03 and save $100 off conference passes or for a free expo pass. It happens June 20-23. <a href="http://www.e2conf.com/boston">Find out more</a>. 2011-06-07T11:38:00ZAs PC Sales Decline, iPad Grabs ShareAnalysts continue to downgrade PC sales forecasts, but also warn that other than iPad, tablets are not selling as fast as the industry had hoped.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230200053?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storage<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/galleries/personal-tech/tablets/229401902"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/614/playbookteardown175.jpg" alt="RIM BlackBerry PlayBook Teardown" title="RIM BlackBerry PlayBook Teardown" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view) <div class="storyImageTitle">Slideshow: RIM BlackBerry PlayBook Teardownr</div> </div>While Apple continues to pile on sales numbers for the iPad, overall demand for both PCs and tablet computers is declining, research firms say. IDC just lowered their expectations for PC and tablet sales for this year and beyond. In February, IDC predicted the worldwide PC shipments would have a 7.1% growth in 2011. Yet after a weak first quarter this year that saw PC shipments decline 1.1% from last year, the firm dropped that estimate to an expected 4.2% growth this year. Consumer PC shipments declined by 4.4% during the first quarter of this year compared with last year, but they were partially offset by 3% growth in commercial segments. Sales of tablet computers have declined as well by about 10% since early March, with the only high volume tablet being the iPad, according to a report by J.P. Morgan. Apple has sold more than 20 million iPads since it was launched in April 2010. However, the Android 3.0 "Honeycomb"-based Motorola Xoom tablet has had <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/tablets/229401046">disappointing sales results</a>. So have the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Asustek Eee Pad Transformer, and RIM's PlayBook, according to J.P. Morgan. The supply of tablets in 2011 could exceed demand by as much as 36%, as projections for sales of iPad and other tablets may be too high, JP Morgan warned. The consumer PC market has been strong since 2005, when it averaged 18.9% until 2007. The market then jumped to 21% in 2008 and 2009, when notebooks and netbooks were popular, according to IDC. Yet since the third quarter of 2010, saturation in the netbook market, competition from mainstream notebooks and media tablets, and economic uncertainty have cut into the consumer PC market. "PC growth surprised a lot of people for how well it did in 2010 and later part of 2009," said Jay Chou, senior research analyst for IDC, in an interview. "A lot of that was fueled by sales of netbooks that made PCs a much more disposable commodity and kept the PC industry afloat ... Yet now the popularity of netbooks has really taken a dive." Tablets, smartphones, and even eReaders have also affected PC growth as consumers turn to other devices for Internet browsing and other activities, Chou said. Goldman Sachs believes tablets will displace one in three PC sales in 2011. "Users depend on their PCs for work but are subdivided based on tablets and netbooks and to some degree smartphones for consumption," Chou said. Another reason for slowing PC growth is that users aren't finding compelling reasons to replace their current PCs, since no significant new product has been announced that will enhance user experience enough to buy a new PC, such as the launch of Windows 7 did. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/229500573">A study</a> by the NPD Group earlier this year said the drop in PC sales had more to do with the launch of Windows 7--and the subsequent jump in PC sales it inspired--rather than increasing sales of the iPad. PC growth is also being affected by modest growth in the commercial sector, disruptions including the Japan earthquake and nuclear disaster, the political uprisings in the Middle East, and reduced economic projections, which will keep overall growth in single digits the rest of 2011, IDC reported. The decline in PC shipments was more pronounced in the mature regions of Western Europe, the United States, and Canada, which saw an overall projected decline of 10.3% in 2011. A glimmer of hope for the PC market could be new models of PCs with thinner designs, longer battery life, and touchscreen features that are expected to be available next year, such as Intel's new <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/notebooks/229700206">Ultrabooks</a>. In 2012, IDC projects the overall PC market for mature markets will increase to 7.8%, with emerging markets projected to be at 12.2% growth. Enterprise Connect is taking our deep mobility expertise and bringing it to your desktop with a one-day virtual event, The Future Of The Mobile Enterprise, to be held Wednesday, June 8. Ever-increasing mobility is perhaps the most important trend affecting enterprise communications today. Learn how to support and secure smartphones, deal with the effect of tablets on IT planning, and more. <a href="http://enterpriseconnect.com/virtualevents">Register now</a>. 2011-06-06T14:14:00ZDisk Storage System Sales SurgeRevenue rose 13.2% due to an increasing demand for storing digitized media and the rebounding economy, reports IDC.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230100010?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageSales of disk storage systems have seen double-digit growth for the past five quarters according to IDC, a trend being driven by the increasing digitization of media and an economic recovery in certain sectors. In its Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker, IDC reported that year-over-year revenue growth for disk storage systems was 13.2%, totaling just under $5.6 billion in the first quarter of 2011. The total disk storage systems capacity shipped was 4,956 petabytes, a growth of 46.3% year over year. "The worldwide disk storage market is off to a strong start in 2011," said Ammita Potnis, senior research analyst for storage systems at IDC, in a release. "Although the market declined sequentially in the first quarter, due to a seasonal budget flush in Q4, year-over-year growth can be seen as end users are taking advantage of easing budget constraints while adopting new capabilities available in the market." For the quarter, the total disk storage systems market grew to just shy of $7.5 billion in revenue, representing 12.1% growth from the prior year's first quarter. The growth is being driven by numerous trends, including the digitization of data previously stored on tape and other media. Another factor is the increasing creation of digital information, in particular the next-generation of "fixed" digital content like videos and images, according to IDC. In addition, economic growth in the upper midrange and high-end sectors is fueling demand for more disk storage, said IDC storage analyst Natalya Yezhkova "With delayed storage purchases during the 2009 crisis, investments in data center upgrades, expansion, and rebuilds started picking up in 2010," said Natalya Yezhkova, research director for storage systems at IDC, in an interview. "But it was the first quarter when sales of high-end systems reached the level of a similar quarter of 2008." EMC was the leader of the external disk storage system pack, with a 27.3% revenue share in the first quarter, followed by NetApp with a 13.5% market share, and IBM with a 12.2% share. HP nabbed the fourth spot at 10.5% market share, and Hitachi came in at fifth with 9% market share. The IP-based storage market also saw strong growth last year, with <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/systems/226300287">network-attached storage</a> (NAS) hitting 27.1% year-over-year revenue growth. EMC led the NAS market with a 48.8% revenue share followed by NetApp with a 30.8% share. In the open storage area network (SAN) market, which grew 13.4% year over year, EMC was again the leading vendor with a 22.7% revenue share, followed by IBM in second, and HP in third, with 14.8% and 13.4% market shares, respectively. The Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) SAN market also had strong growth, posting 23% revenue growth compared with last year's quarter. Dell led this market with a 32.9% revenue share, followed by HP at 14.4%, and EMC with a 14.2% share. The strong growth in disk storage systems is being driven by midrange disk storage products that include scale-out architecture, file storage, and capacity optimizing features like data deduplication, IDC said. There has also been a renewed interest in Fibre Channel for the high-end market. Data is growing 20 to 50% annually, according to InformationWeek's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/virtualization/229201150">2011 State of Storage Survey</a>, which suggests organizations will need to double their storage capacity every two to three years, which is driving growth in disk storage. More organizations are turning to solid-state drives (SSDs), with our survey finding that nearly a quarter implemented them, a 37% increase from 2010. Also, data center consolidation, which started with servers, has spread to storage, as IT architects leverage larger arrays, faster networks, and more sophisticated management software to apply economies of scale to storage provisioning. Storage virtualization is another big growth area, according to the survey. IT teams areas are packing more information on fewer devices, delivering faster throughput while using less space and power, and managing the needs of more applications with fewer people. Our new report shows how smart CIOs will accelerate this trend by adopting new multipurpose arrays and converged networks. <a href="http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=188100011&cat=whitepaper">Download our report here</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-06-03T14:11:00ZAMD Ramps Up APU ProductionThe chipmaker's Fusion processors have sold out due to increased demand for smaller, more powerful computers.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230200028?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageDue to explosive demand for its accelerated processing units during the first quarter of 2011, Advanced Micro Devices is reprioritizing its production schedule to produce more of its Fusion and upcoming Llano APUs. As a result, the company will delay shipments of its high performance desktop FX-series microprocessors, code-named Zambezi, microprocessors until September. The reprioritization for AMD is based on increasing demand for its APUs from computer manufacturers creating thinner, lower powered laptops. AMD sold out of its <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229000090">Fusion processors</a> during the first quarter of this year, after seeing 1.3 million APUs sold during the fourth quarter of 2010 and 3.9 million sold during the first quarter of 2011. The shortage, however, has cut into sales, with AMD reporting only 1.1 million units sold during the following two months of the first quarter. "What this really boils down to is ramping our mainstream desktop APU platform, code-named Lynx, for shipment later this quarter and volume shipment starting in Q3," said Phil Hughes, PR Manager at AMD, in an interview. "We've had a lot of success with our Z-series APUs and we're responding to a high demand for our APUs and higher market opportunities for mainstream desktops." The FX-series processors, based on the "Bulldozer" micro-architecture, are geared to high-end gaming and were originally set to be released this month, but will ship sometime late summer, Hughes said. A primary focus now for AMD is the increase of production for its Fusion processors: the E-Series APUs, codenamed Zacate, and the C-Series, codenamed Ontario. It is also looking to release its A-Series Llano APUs as part of the AMD Lynx platform, due for release later this month. The chips will feature four x86 cores paired up with DirectX 11 GPU and higher energy efficiency than their predecessors, AMD said. They are scheduled to appear in larger mainstream laptops and desktops, as well as notebook designs. AMD's Fusion processors compete with Intel's Atom-based processors, but have a lower price and better graphics capabilities said Nathan Brookwood, research fellow at Insight 64, a market research and consulting firm, in an interview. "Anyone looking to build a product that can compete in the netbook, low-end notebook, or tablet space, will find Fusion products very compelling from a price and performance standpoint," said Brookwood. "The design is very good with performance per watt, which has enabled AMD to have virtually all day battery life." AMD admits to not accurately forecasting the strong demand it has seen for its Fusion processors. The demand is being drive by increasing consumer and product manufacturing demand for smaller and more powerful consumer laptops that range from 11.6 and 14 inches. Computer manufacturers like Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, and Sony have created new 11.6-inch laptops designed around Fusion that are packaged as smaller laptops, instead of netbooks. Both the HP dm1and Lenovo's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/smb/hardware_software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228901666">ThinkPadX120e</a> use AMD's E-series APUs. "I think demand in the first quarter definitely exceeded our forecast," Hughes said. "I think what it is, is that consumer expectations are for all day battery life and they feel entitled to that sense of mobility and freedom. Right now we're looking at the right combination of CPUs, graphics, videos, and all day battery life for our APUs." AMD is still on track to ship its new 16-core AMD Opteron processors, code-named Interlagos, in the third quarter of the year. They are aimed at powering high-performance computing, databases, and virtualization. AMD <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229218582"> introduced</a> its 8-core and 12-core Opteron server processors earlier this year. IT teams areas are packing more information on fewer devices, delivering faster throughput while using less space and power, and managing the needs of more applications with fewer people. Our new report shows how smart CIOs will accelerate this trend by adopting new multipurpose arrays and converged networks. <a href="http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=188100011&cat=whitepaper">Download our report here</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-06-02T12:48:00ZTI ARM Processor Targets Smartphones, Tablets, NotebooksTexas Instrument's OMAP 4470 processor is powered by a pair of 1-GHz ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore engines and two 266-MHz ARM Cortex-M3 cores for multimedia performance.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229900082?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageTexas Instruments unveiled OMAP 4470 processor, a new addition to its OMAP 4 family of ARM-based processors that's geared toward smartphones, tablets, and ultra-thin notebooks. The multicore OMAP 4470 processor is powered by a pair of 1-GHz ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore engines and two 266-MHz ARM Cortex-M3 cores for multimedia performance. It runs at 1.8 GHz, an increase from the 1.5-GHz OMAP 4460 processor released last year and featured in the Blackberry PlayBook tablet. One of the key features of the new OMAP processor is a hardware composition engine that frees the GPU from compositing and blending multiple layers of content, and it also reduces energy consumption. "This hardware comp engine allows us to blend various windows and all the various layers that go into the user interface in today's operating systems and blend them together very efficiently and smoothly, even at large display sizes," Mark Granger, head of OMAP platform marketing for TI's wireless business unit, said in an interview. When it comes to multimedia processing, the processor features an Imagination PowerVR SGX544 graphics core that represents a two-and-a-half times increase in graphics processing performance compared with the 4460, which helps with rich visual effects and gaming, Granger said. The PowerVR SGX544 is similar to the SGX543 used in the Apple iPad 2, but is a newer version. The new processor also has a higher memory bandwidth through dual-channel, 466-MHz LPDDR2 memory that enables rendering and compositing of multilayer high-resolution content. "We've increased the system bandwidth to 466 MHz and that really helps ease bottlenecks in the system to make a highly fluid user interface and user experience," Granger said. The OMAP 4470 will begin appearing in phones and tablets during the first half of 2012, while devices featuring the 1.5 GHz, dual-core OMAP 4460 will appear later this year. Texas Instruments plans to announce a next-generation OMAP 5 series during the second half of next year. The OMAP 4470 is also compatible with Windows 8 and Netflix, a move that Texas Instruments will find strong competition. As <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/229900050">Windows 8</a> generates buzz, chip manufacturers are racing to position themselves in the upcoming Windows tablet computers, which is compatible with both ARM and x86 platforms. AMD, Qualcomm, Nvidia, Texas Instruments, and Intel are all hoping to get their chips into the new Windows platform. AMD <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229900024"> announced </a> Wednesday a new Z-series Fusion accelerated processing unit (APU), code-named "Desna," aimed at the Windows-based tablet market. Meanwhile, Qualcomm introduced its dual-core MSM8960 Snapdragon processor for Windows 8 devices. The chip has a speed up of to 2.5 GHz and integrates both 3G and LTE. Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said that 250 devices based on the company's Snapdragon processor are being developed, in addition to 125 that have already been announced, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-01/qualcomm-says-snapdragon-chip-to-appear-in-250-more-devices-1-.html">reported</a> Bloomberg. Also, Nvidia's new Kal-El processor was recently announced running on four CPU cores and 12 GPU cores, with five times the performance of its Tegra 2 chips used in some Android tablets. Innovative IT shops are turning the mobile device management challenge into a business opportunity--and showing that we can help people be more connected and collaborative, regardless of location. Read the new report from InformationWeek Analytics. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/tech-center/mobile-security/download?id=188500018&cat=whitepaper">Download it now</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-06-01T16:00:00ZAMD Intros Fusion Chip For Windows TabletsThe Z-series "Desna" accelerated processing unit supports hardware graphics acceleration in a low-energy design.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229900024?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD) has announced a new Z-series Fusion accelerated processing unit (APU), code-named "Desna," aimed squarely at the Windows-based tablet market. The first Z series chip, the Z-01, launched at the Computex trade show Wednesday, is already shipping to OEMs. It will debut this year in the MSI Windpad, which features a Microsoft Windows based OS. The Z series chips are specifically designed for <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/microsoft_news/229700128">Windows-based tablet designs</a> coming to market soon. The chips support hardware graphics acceleration for Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft Office 10, and Windows 7 visual effects. The chips feature two 1-GHz, AMD "Bobcat" CPU cores running at 1-GHz and 5.9 watts thermal design power (TDP). They also feature built-in Radeon HD 6250 graphics. "We're very focused on aggressively growing our share in the client PC market and are actively pursuing the multimedia tablet and convertible PC tablet market space," said John Taylor, director of client marketing for AMD, in an interview. In order to do this, AMD has been ratcheting up the energy efficiency of its APUs, with the release of new <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229000090">Fusion chips</a> based on the Bobcat core designs this past January. The E-series chips, which include the dual-core E-350 and single-core E-240, are aimed at full-sized, lightweight laptops, such as HP and Lenovo models. The AMD C-series "Ontario" chips are dual-core C-50 and single-core C-30, which use half the power of their E-Series cousins. The E-series "Zacate" chips are aimed at netbooks and tablet computers. "What this level of TDP wattage allows us to do, with additional work around thermal packaging and cooling, is to take an experience with multimedia and gaming and put in inside a passively cooled device," Taylor said. The Fusion series of chips have been so successful that AMD ran out of stock of the processors during the first fiscal quarter of this year, Taylor said. Later this month, AMD will unveil its A-Series of APUs, codenamed "Llano." The products will have four x86 cores and have higher energy efficiency than their predecessors, Taylor said. They are scheduled to appear in larger mainstream laptops and desktops, as well as notebook designs. Both AMD and rival Intel are playing catch up in the tablet market, where ARM-based processors were found in 99% of tablets shipped last year, according to research firm IDC. Intel targeted the tablet market with the release of its "Oak Trail" <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229401356">Atom chips</a> in April. Intel said more than 35 Atom-powered tablets from a variety of computer manufacturers will be released this year. Until Oak Trail, Intel had not had low-power technology small enough to compete with ARM-based processors. IDC forecasts that ARM will only lose a few market-share points this year in the tablet market. At the 2011 Computex trade show in Taiwan, Intel unveiled more than 10 tablets based on the next-generation Atom chip. IT teams areas are packing more information on fewer devices, delivering faster throughput while using less space and power, and managing the needs of more applications with fewer people. Our new report shows how smart CIOs will accelerate this trend by adopting new multipurpose arrays and converged networks. <a href=http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=188100011&cat=whitepaper">Download our report here</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-06-01T14:27:00ZSanDisk Announces SSDs For Tablets, Thin LaptopsFeaturing SATA III interfaces, both solid state drives are designed for smaller, portable devices like ultra-thin laptops and tablets.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229900088?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storage<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/hardware/reviews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300081&pgno=66"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/605/SanDisk-U100-SSD-Family_tn.jpg" alt="SanDisk SSD U100" title="SanDisk SSD U100" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view) <div class="storyImageTitle">SanDisk SSD U100</div> </div>SanDisk unveiled two solid state drives (SSD) designed for thin and mobile computing platforms such as ultra-thin notebooks and high-end tablets, at the Computex trade show in Taiwan Tuesday. The SanDisk SSD U100 and iSSD i100 feature SATA III interfaces and can transfer data, improve web browsing speed, and other functions at about twice the speed of the SanDisk P4 drives they are intended to replace, the company said. The new drives have a low-power architecture to reduce power consumption to as low as 10 watts during "slumber mode," which enables longer battery life in ultra-portable computers and tablets. "Our deep involvement with key ecosystem stakeholders allows us to align our products with fast-moving market requirements," said Rizwan Ahmed, director, SSD product marketing at SanDisk, in a release. "We develop low-power, high-performance SATA SSDs that optimally fit into a growing number of thin client devices." SanDisk claims the iSSD i100, which is designed for tablets, is the smallest and fastest 128GB SATA III BGA-based SSD. The drive is available in 8 GB to 128 GB capacities and measures .62 inches x .78 inches x 0.5 inches (for up to 64GB) and .62 inches x .78 x .07 inches (for 128GB). The U100 is designed for ultra-thin laptops and provides up to 256 GB of storage in a drive that fits into a slimmed-down SATA SSD, mSATA, or mSATA mini casing at 2.5 inches. The U100 features a SATA III interface and has a benchmark of 450 bps read speed and up to 340 bps write speed, which is twice the speed of previous P4 SSDs. The drive is available in 8 GB to 256 GB capacities. The U100 drive was designed in conjunction with Asus for high performance and lower power consumption. Asus is featuring the drive in its new ultra-thin UX21 laptop. "SanDisk's U100 drive allows our notebook to achieve the thin size, fast performance and long battery life needed to produce an enjoyable user experience," said S. Y. Shian, corporate vice president and general manager of the Asus notebook business unit, in a release. SanDisk has been aggressively pursuing the consumer SSD space and also recently <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/data_protection/229503370 ">entered</a> the enterprise SSD space with the acquisition of Pliant, which sells ultra-high-performance enterprise SSDs based on the SAS protocol aimed at high-performance enterprise applications. Gartner anticipates the SSD market to grow from $994 million in 2010 to $4.2 billion in 2015, with about 1.3 million SSD units shipped in 2010, to an expected 9.4 million units shipped in 2015. This growth is fueled by the increasing use of SSDs, which consume less power than hard-disk drives and allow access to information quicker. While the cost of SSDs has kept consumers at bay, Gartner predicts that in 2012 the SSD price will drop to $1 per gigabyte and entice consumers to fuel strong demand. IT teams areas are packing more information on fewer devices, delivering faster throughput while using less space and power, and managing the needs of more applications with fewer people. Our new report shows how smart CIOs will accelerate this trend by adopting new multipurpose arrays and converged networks. <a href=http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=188100011&cat=whitepaper">Download our report here</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-06-01T11:39:00ZSamsung Introduces Faster, Lower Power Memory ModulesThe 4Gb DDR3 DIMM chips are placed in 32 Gb memory modules based on 30 nm-class chip architecture.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229900001?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageA year after Samsung introduced its 40 nanometer-class 4Gb DDR3 DIMM chips for servers, it has decreased the size the chip size to a 30 nm class chip lithography. The result is the release on Tuesday of Samsung's 32 GB dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) that use less power and are faster than previous memory modules. Samsung, the largest producer of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), said the modules--which are packages containing DRAM chips for use in PCs, servers and other products--are targeted at the cloud computing and advanced server systems market, with an eye toward green power efficiency. "These new chips represent an 18% improvement with same amount of density and are using less power," said Jim Elliott, vice president of memory marketing and product planning at Samsung, in an interview. "While in the PC desktop this doesn't make a lot of difference, when you're talking about a data center using thousands of servers strung together, and you put it into the context of data centers using three percent of the electricity consumption in the country, these numbers start to add up." Samsung's 30 nm class 4Gb DDR3 chip has an approximate 50% increase in productivity over Samsung's 40 nm class 4Gb DDR3, released in February of 2010, the company said. The new chip reaches 1,866 Mbps and uses 1.35-volts. Samsung's other products based on its 30 nm-based 4Gb DDR3 chips include 16 Gb RDIMMs for servers and 8Gb SO-DIMMS for small form-factors systems. In 2012, Samsung expects to have more than 10% of its total DRAM chip production at the 4Gb (or higher) density, the company said. In March, Samsung began producing similar<a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229400273">30 nm class 4 Gb DRAM</a> targeted at mobile devices in order to reduce power consumption and increase speed. "Mass production of 4Gb LPDDR 2 is a tremendous advancement for the mobile industry, one that will enable our OEM customers to move quickly in launching better differentiated high-performance mobile devices into the market.," Wanhoon Hong, executive VP for memory sales and marketing at Samsung, said in a statement. DRAM modules are projected to reach 812.8 million units in 2011, up from 733.2 million last year, according to <a href="http://www.isuppli.com/Memory-and-Storage/News/Pages/DRAM-Module-Market-to-Grow-11-Percent-This-Year-Repeating-Successful-2010.aspx">IHS iSuppli</a>. While growth in 2011 for DRAM modules will be slightly down from the 14.6% expansion last year, it will be ahead of the market's performance during the next four years, the firm said. Shipments of 4Gb DRAM are expected to account for approximately 10% of total DRAM shipments in 2012, 35% in 2013, and up to 57% in 2014. Samsung is the market leader in DRAM, accounting for 39.3% of the DRAM market, down from 41.3% last year, according to <a href="http://www.isuppli.com/Memory-and-Storage/News/Pages/DRAM-Module-Market-to-Grow-11-Percent-This-Year-Repeating-Successful-2010.aspx, ">IHS iSuppli</a>. DRAM revenues for Samsung fell to $3.3 billion in the first quarter, down from US$3.6 billion in the fourth quarter last year. Moving forward, Samsung hopes to continually decrease power consumption and increase productivity through its "green memory" DRAM products by moving down the nanometer lithography, Elliott said. "Ultimately we want to enable our end customers in the IT industry to have these very green data center build outs moving forward," Elliott said. "The key is how do I expand the data center without expanding the data center. How do I increase capacity without increasing power consumption? I think these green memory solutions are doing this and I think that's the trajectory we're trying to drive." Vendors are fighting it out in the market for integrated network, computer, and storage systems. In the new all-digital issue of Network Computing, we go ringside to help you pick a winner. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/nwcdigital/may11/index.jhtml?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the issue now</a>. (Free with registration.)2011-05-31T14:48:00ZIntel Ultrabooks Promise Thin, Powerful Mobile ComputingThe computers will be powered by Atom processors, which Intel says will outpace Moore's Law as they shrink from 32 nanometers to 14 nm over the next three years.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229700206?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageIntel announced a "different category" of notebook computers Tuesday with an upcoming line of "Ultrabook" PCs that combine tablet functionality with ultra-thin laptop design. At the Computex computer show in Taipei, Intel's vice president Sean Maloney said the Ultrabook will be less than 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) thick, lightweight, and still include high-performance Intel processors. "There'll be some confusion if you look at the fold factor; when you open it you'll see a PC but if you're on the go, just fold it and suddenly it's a tablet," Maloney said at a Computex <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/31/us-intel-idUSTRE74U0DT20110531">media conference</a>. Is it a PC? Is it a tablet? I think it doesn't matter." By the end of 2012, the new Ultrabooks will take up 40% of the consumer laptop market, Maloney stated. Intel is currently working with manufacturers to get the first wave of Ultabooks out by the 2011 holiday season, based on Intel's existing Core processors and priced at under $1,000. Asustek on Monday at the convention revealed a new UX series PC in Intel's "Ultrabook" class, and said it will be released toward the end of this year. The second wave of Ultrabooks will be released during the first half of next year and will be based on Intel's upcoming <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229402784"> Ivy Bridge processors</a>, as well as USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt technologies. The third and final Ultrabook wave is expected to materialize in 2013, based on a new Core processor design code-named Haswell. Intel said Haswell will have half the power consumption of Intel's current processors, which will enable thinner designs and longer battery life. "Computing is taking many forms," Maloney said in a statement. "Technology innovation is a catalyst, and we believe the changes Intel is making to its roadmaps, together with strong industry collaboration, will bring about an exciting change in personal computing over the next few years." Maloney also said the Atom processor will outpace Moore's Law in the years ahead, moving from 32 nanometers to 22 nm to 14 nm over the next three years. This will result in a "significant reduction in transistor leakage, lower active power, and an increase of transistor density," particularly for smartphones, tablets, and netbooks. While Intel dominates the PC and server processor markets, its processors are non-existent in smartphones and tablet computers that rely on lower-power ARM-based processors. Intel's latest announcement is another signal the company is serious about having its chips play a bigger role in the lucrative mobile technology market. Boyd Davis, VP of Intel's architecture group, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229301070"> told reporters</a> earlier this year that Intel will respond to market demands for flexibility and lower energy use by creating low-power processors that will also deliver some of the company's most popular server features, such as 64-bit compatibility, error correcting coding, and virtualization technology. At Computex, Maloney also said that Intel is also preparing its new Cedar Trail chip for netbooks, which will enable ultra-thin, fanless computer designs with new capabilities such as Rapid Start technology. Rapid start uses flash storage to hold the computer OS and applications for quick start-up. Innovative IT shops are turning the mobile device management challenge into a business opportunity--and showing that we can help people be more connected and collaborative, regardless of location. Read the new report from InformationWeek Analytics. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/tech-center/mobile-security/download?id=188500018&cat=whitepaper">Download it now</a>. (Free registration required.)2011-05-31T12:57:00ZTablets Cut Into Hard Disk Drive RevenueGrowth is slowing for HDDs due to the increasing use of low-cost, portable devices and cloud storage, reports IHS iSuppli.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229700177?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storage<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/galleries/personal-tech/tablets/229401902"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/614/playbookteardown175.jpg" alt="RIM BlackBerry PlayBook Teardown" title="RIM BlackBerry PlayBook Teardown" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view) <div class="storyImageTitle">Slideshow: RIM BlackBerry PlayBook Teardownr</div> </div>The rising sales of tablet computers and the decreasing demand for PCs has cut into the hard disk drive (HDD) market significantly, with growth in HDD-based revenue expected to decline 3% this year compared to 2010, according to a new report by IHS iSuppli. The primary culprit: tablet computing, which forgoes HDDs and has cut into consumer purchases of PCs. Gartner <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/229401616">reported</a> a 1.1% decline in PC sales year over year in the first quarter of 2011, and IDC, which uses a different methodology, reported a decrease of 3.2%. Analysts at both firms said users' embrace of tablet computers was the major reason for the drop in PC sales. IHS iSuppli says revenue for HDDs, which includes drives for PCs and corporate or storage servers, is projected to reach $28.1 billion in 2011. While this is 4.1% higher than the $27 billion of 2010, the anticipated HDD growth is significantly lower than the 7% expansion posted by the industry last year. The firm predicts HDD revenue will gradually decline in the years ahead, falling to a 3.9% expansion in 2012, 2.8% in 2014, and 2.1% in 2015. "We forecast tablets are going to have dramatic growth this year based on consumer spending projections," said Fang Zhang, analyst for IHS iSuppli, in an interview. "Basically the results of the study show consumers with limited budgets are choosing tablets right now." Flash and solid state drives (SSDs) have eaten into the traditional HDD market as consumers turn to tablet computers, lightweight notebook computers, and smartphones for Internet browsing, streaming video, and sharing content. Another factor in declining HDD revenue growth is more efficient cloud storage, as enterprises forgo on-premises storage for the cloud. The introduction of lower-priced drives with higher area densities, which is the result of constantly improving and evolving technology becoming more affordable, has also cut into HDD growth, Zhang said. However, while consumer tastes have changed, the enterprise market for HDDs remains fairly strong, due to increasing demand for corporate PCs, server and storage virtualization, and the building of a cloud-based infrastructure by corporations. The enterprise HDD market makes up less than 20% of total volume, while the consumer side comprises about 65%. The remaining 15% is split among automotive, set-top boxes, airports, cameras, and MP3 players. Although HDD revenue is declining from previous years, it will still continue to increase for the next four years, from about $28 billion this year to an estimated $32 billion in 2015, according to HIS iSuppli. However, a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/229500573">recent study</a> from the NPD Group had contrary findings to the IHS iSuppli and other industry reports. It said that declining PC sales were not based on consumer preference for tablet computers, but rather the launch of Windows 7--and the subsequent <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/microsoft_news/229402526">jump in PC sales</a> it inspired. The NPD report also found that 14% of new iPad owners (six months or less) decided to purchase an iPad in place of a PC. Over the past holiday season, that number dropped to 12%. Yet "cannibalization" of netbooks is down by 50% among recent iPad owners, compared to the early iPad adopters, the report said. As the volume of corporate data continues to grow, IT pros keep investing in new storage usage technologies. Compression still ranks No. 1, according to InformationWeek Analytics' 2010 Data Deduplication Survey, though respondents rely increasingly on dedupe, as well as thin provisioning and MAID. <a href="http://data-deduplication-tech-center.networkcomputing.com/util/download.jhtml?id=187100027&cat=whitepaper">Download it here</a> (registration required).2011-05-27T15:40:00ZIntel Considers Fabbing Chips For OthersFueling rumors that Intel will manufacture custom chips for Apple, CFO Stacy Smith said the company is open to manufacturing processors for competitors.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229700147?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageA top Intel executive confirmed Thursday that Intel would consider making chips for rival consumer electronics vendors. Intel CFO Stacy Smith told journalists after an investor event in London on Thursday that Intel would consider producing chip cores based on its own architecture for other companies, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/26/us-intel-idUSTRE74P43W20110526">Reuters reported</a>. However, if rival chip architectures were requested, Intel would have a tough decision to make. "If Apple or Sony came to us and said, 'I want to do a product that involves your IA [Intel architecture] core and put some of my IP around it,' I wouldn't blink. That would be fantastic business for us," Smith said. "Then you get into the middle ground of 'I don't want it to be a IA core, I want it to be my own custom-designed core,' and then you are only getting the manufacturing margin, [and] that would be a much more in-depth discussion and analysis." Smith's comments allow for substantial speculation over whether Intel is hoping to target the mobility space, primarily Apple's A4 and A5 system on a chip, which is used in its iPhone, iPad, and iPod products. Intel lately has been targeting the microprocessor space dominated by ARM processors, the only chip market Intel doesn't hold a majority market share in. Smith said a proposal from Apple was "not in the works today." Earlier this year, Intel introduced its <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229218816?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Mobility">Medfield smartphone processors</a> as a challenge to ARM-based processors, which are used in nearly every major mobile phone. Before the release, Intel said smartphones running on the new chip would be released this year, but so far that has not materialized. The recent impromptu announcement by Intel's CFO could be a move toward financial due diligence, since in April Intel increased its capital spending plan for 2011 from $9 billion to $10.2 billion. "It makes economic sense for Intel to have a good factory load, and one of the best ways would be to be a source for other chip manufacturers, whether it be competitive or not," said Vernon Turner, senior VP for IDC, in an interview. The volume of processors Intel could produce on, say, an ARM architecture would be financially worthwhile in the short term, Turner said. A company like Apple could benefit from Intel's new <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/229402784">22-nanometer fabrication process</a>, which is expected to give Intel's new trigate chips lower active state power consumption, lower off-state power consumption, and higher performance. This could potentially give Apple a performance edge over its competitor's ARM processors in power and performance. However, if Intel did indeed begin creating custom-built processors, it could disrupt the partnerships Intel has with various vendors already, Turner said. In the new, all-digital InformationWeek Best Of Interop supplement: See why VMware's vCenter Operations and eight other products stood out at Interop 2011. Also in our supplement: Dell, HP, IBM, and 13 other vendors team up to showcase gear based on OpenFlow, the network virtualization standard. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/052311S/index.jhtml?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download it now</a>. (Free registration required.) 2011-05-27T09:40:00ZCray's XK6 Supercomputer Promises 50-Petaflop PerformanceAMD 16-core, Opteron processors, Nvidia Tesla graphics processors, and a Linux-based operating system are the foundation of Cray's fastest machine.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229700091?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storage<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/enterprise-apps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224700271"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/424/GovSupercomputerIG_01_Jaguar1_tn.jpg" alt="Slideshow: Government's 10 Most Powerful Supercomputers" title="Slideshow: Government's 10 Most Powerful Supercomputers" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Slideshow: Government's 10 Most Powerful Supercomputers</div><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/enterprise-apps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224700271">(click for larger image and for full slideshow)</a></div>Cray this week released its fastest and most advanced supercomputer, which the company said can achieve a staggering 50 petaflops, or 50 quadrillion floating point operations per second. The Cray XK6 Supercomputer handles it with a combination of AMD's 16-core, x86 Opteron 6200 Series server processors with Nvidia's Tesla 20-Series graphics processors and Cray's Linux-based operating system called Gemini interconnect. It is the first time Cray incorporated GPUs into a high-performance supercomputer system. Cray said it could have released the XK6 earlier, but that it took about a year and a half to create the software that could integrate the GPUs. The software of the XK6 consists of a Linux OS based on SUSE enterprise OS 11, layered with Cray's own programming, Barry Bolding, vice president of Cray's product division, said in an interview. "The whole package of hardware and software becomes the supercomputer," Bolding said. "Cray has a very strong belief that it isn't just about putting together a bunch of pieces of hardware. If you look at Chinese GPU systems over the last few months, we haven't seen a lot of scientific results coming out of those systems. That is probably because those systems, while they're put together with a bunch of very powerful hardware, don't have the software to run scientific applications at scale. That's really where our advantage is." Earlier systems, such as the Cray XT4, Cray XT5, Cray XT6, or Cray XE6 systems, can be upgraded to a Cray XK6. It can be configured in a single cabinet with tens of compute nodes and expanded to a multi-cabinet system with tens of thousands of compute nodes. This is precisely how Cray has laid the claim of 50 petaflops--if enough cabinets are installed this level can be reached. Cray's first customer for the new Cray XK6 system is the <a href="http://www.cscs.ch/">Swiss National Supercomputing Centre</a> (CSCS) in Manno, Switzerland, which is upgrading its current Cray XE6m system, nicknamed "Piz Palu." The CSCS uses the supercomputer to support scientific research in fields such as weather forecasting, climatology, chemistry, physics, material sciences, geology, biology, genetics, experimental medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and computer sciences. "Given the remarkable interest in GPU technology from the Swiss computational science community, it is essential that CSCS adopt this technology into its high-end production systems soon," Thomas Schulthess, director of CSCS, said in a statement. "However, we are not looking for another GPU based stunt to place high on any Top 500 lists. The Cray XK6 promises to be the first general-purpose supercomputer based on GPU technology, and we are very much looking forward to exploring its performance and productivity on real applications relevant to our scientists." The <a href="http://www.top500.org/">Top 500 list</a> Schulthess mentioned is usually revealed at the International Supercomputing Conference, which takes place in June in Hamburg, Germany. Last year, China <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/infrastructure/ethernet/228000283?queryText=Cray">took the top prize</a> for fastest supercomputing with its Tianhe-I, beating out Cray's XT5 supercomputer at the Oakridge National Lab. The XK6 will not be competing at this year's conference however, since it will become available in the second half of 2011, Bolding said. However, Bolding made a distinction between the Linpack benchmark used to assess processing speed and actual applications. He said that while the Chinese supercomputer has claimed the prize as the highest processing speed, it has yet to produce a single application. Analyst Earl Joseph, vice president for high performance computing at IDC, said the new Cray supercomputer further establishes the company as one of the top producers of supercomputers in the world. "We think Cray is historically very good at designing machines and this continues the same design points Cray has historically had," he said in an interview. "It has a lot of good software and is much easier to use with high performance computing. For everything we've seen its another very successful machine for Cray." Still, next year's Top 500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputer will list systems capable of performing calculations as much as eight times faster than the fastest computers available today. IBM will have its own <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/supercomputers/229202772">20-petaflop system</a> at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., in 2012. Vendors are fighting it out in the market for integrated network, computer, and storage systems. In the new all-digital issue of Network Computing, we go ringside to help you pick a winner. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/nwcdigital/may11/index.jhtml?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the issue now</a>. (Free with registration.)2011-05-26T20:00:00ZKingmax Claims First 64-GB MicroSD CardThe Taiwan semiconductor company hasn't said when the chip will ship or how much it will cost.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229700077?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storage <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/smb/mobile/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228900197"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/592/iphone4_tn.jpg" alt="Top 10 Mobile Stories Of 2010" title="Top 10 Mobile Stories Of 2010" class="img175" /></a> (click image for larger view) <div class="storyImageTitle">Slideshow: Top 10 Mobile Stories Of 2010</div> </div>  Kingmax Technology announced it will soon unveil the first 64-GB microSD chip, although details on when it will be released and how much it will cost have not been disclosed. The Taiwan semiconductor company's claim is a big one, since a removable flash memory card of this magnitude would sit well in new smartphones and tablets that are holding increasing amounts of music, pictures, and videos. MicroSD chips are supplemental memory chips for smartphones and tablets. "Although it comes in a compact size, it definitely satisfies consumer needs for massive multimedia data storage," the company said in a release. "Moreover, with the help of an adapter, Kingmax's microSD card can also be used as a SD card or USB flash drives." Currently the highest capacity microSD chip on the market is 32 GB offered by <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/science-tech/224200116">SanDisk</a> and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/storage/222300836"> Samsung</a>. SanDisk declined to comment if it's developing its own 64-GB card. The smallest and densest NAND flash die shipping is the Intel/Micron 20-nanometer 64-GB NAND, which was <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/portable/229401639">announced</a> in April. The smaller flash memory will make it possible to boost storage in smartphones and tablets while taking up less space on circuit boards. IM expects to begin mass production in the second half of this year, when the company plans to start providing samples of 16-GB devices. The 20-nm products will make it possible to build a 128-GB solid-state drive that is smaller than a postage stamp, the company said. Kingmax's proposed microSD chips are supplementary flash storage for smartphones and tablets, except for Apple products, which don't allow for external storage capabilities. Its dimensions are 15 millimeters by 11 millimeters by 1 millimeter, and it has a wear-leveling algorithm to maximize product lifetime and an error correction code that auto corrects data. It's also energy efficient, the company said. However, Kingmax's chips would barely fit into a microSD card since a microSD measures 15 by 10 millimeters at its narrowest point, Jim Handy, an analyst for Objective Analysis, said in an InformationWeek interview. "If Kingmax puts a 150-millimeter part into a 150-millimeter package, they wouldn't be able to put the plastic casing around the edges," Handy said. "There's not a lot of extra room, so it's an enormously challenging technical feat to make something like this. It will be an important success if Kingmax can ship it in volume." However, it is not a matter of if, but when a new microSD chip will be shipped, Handy said. While Kingmax's claim is tall, if it doesn't produce this chip in the near future, another chip manufacturer certainly will, he said. The NAND flash memory market saw revenue of $5.36 billion in the first quarter of 2011, up 9.9% from $4.88 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to DRAMeXchange. Samsung Electronics led the market with a 36.2% share, followed by Toshiba with 35.1%. Intel was fifth on the list with a 6.6% market share. Enterprise Connect is taking our deep mobility expertise and bringing it to your desktop with a one-day virtual event, The Future Of The Mobile Enterprise, to be held Wednesday, June 8. Ever-increasing mobility is perhaps the most important trend affecting enterprise communications today. Learn how to support and secure smartphones, deal with the effect of tablets on IT planning, and more. <a href="http://enterpriseconnect.com/virtualevents">Register now</a>. 2011-05-26T12:17:00ZFreescale Semiconductor Launches IPOThe semiconductor company saw its shares post modest gains in early trading as it seeks to regain its former glory in a tough chip market.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229700034?cid=SBX_iwk_related_mostpopular_Data_protection_storageFreescale Semiconductor Holdings posted modest gains in early trading on Thursday after cutting the price of its initial public offering. The semiconductor company's share price opened at $19, an increase of 5.6% from its IPO price of $18. Freescale sold 43.5 million shares, but the price was below its expected $22 to $24 range. Freescale, which was a spin-off from Motorola in 2004, provides embedded processing semiconductors and systems, including microcontrollers, single- and multi-core microprocessors, applications processors, and digital signal processors. Freescale is the largest supplier of engine system microcontrollers in the world. In 2009, Freescale launched its first ARM chips with Cortex-A8 micro-architecture targeted at providing cost-effective, yet high-performance netbooks. Last year, the company launched its <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/223101147"> i.MX508 applications processor</a> that Freescale claimed provides twice the rendering performance of the company's previous e-reader processors, helping to reduce the price of e-readers by $30. While Freescale has found <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/infrastructure/remote_access/228900163?queryText=kindle">some success in Kindle</a>, its successes have been limited. Freescale used to be an innovator in the microprocessor market and its PowerPC microprocessors were previously used in Apple's PowerBooks and Mac mini products, until Apple's transition to Intel processors in 2006. It has yet to break into exploding markets such as microprocessors for the smartphones and tablets, and data center applications for networking and cloud computing. Plus, the company faces strong competition in the embedded processor market from Intel, Infineon Technologies, Texas Instruments, and others. "The key question is although Freescale has a great history, it really needs the navigation and working capital to be able to realign itself with where the industry is going," said Sergis Mushell, principal analyst at Gartner, in an interview. "It's a very rapidly changing industry." "What Freescale needs is to reassess, realign, and re-engage the market, he said. "I think that's what they're doing. They're looking at the market and recapturing what the market wants. However, they should not focus solely on technology, but rather on business processes and execution." Freescale's IPO is being driven in part by $7.5 billion in debt accumulated in a 2006 leveraged buyout of the company. Since then, the company has struggled with its mountainous debt and saw its products being used less by the likes of Motorola, which has seen its cell phone sales sag over the years. However, Freescale cut back on their proposed IPO terms Wednesday, a sign investor demand wasn't as strong as it had hoped. The company announced Wednesday it was selling shares at a 47% discount to what private-equity owners paid after cutting the price range in its initial public offering by 17%, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-25/freescale-seeks-ipo-at-a-47-discount-to-buyout-price-after-cutting-range.html">according to Bloomberg</a>. "It's a relief of debt burden for them, but it's not the magic bullet for them either," said Tom Starnes, an analyst for Objective Analysis. "It was something necessary for them to move on, but it's not going to help them create more technology for smartphones or next video games or tablets or anything like that." It's the booming markets of microprocessor technology that Freescale needs to focus on, rather than relying on small, steady growth in its core embedded technology industry, Starnes said. A new management direction and focus can certainly help. "If you're growing slowly and not highly competitive, you will be devoured," Mushell said. "That's the nature of the semiconductor industry. They need to scale and be present in markets that are aggressive and drive revenues from those markets." Enterprise Connect is taking our deep mobility expertise and bringing it to your desktop with a one-day virtual event, The Future Of The Mobile Enterprise, to be held Wednesday, June 8. Ever-increasing mobility is perhaps the most important trend affecting enterprise communications today. Learn how to support and secure smartphones, deal with the effect of tablets on IT planning, and more. <a href="http://enterpriseconnect.com/virtualevents">Register now</a>.