Qualcomm has announced the Centriq 2400 server processor lineup. This processor contains Qualcomm’s custom Armv8-based CPU named the Falkor CPU, and each processor may contain as much as 48 cores with a maximum frequency of 2.6GHz. The CPU has an L1 instruction cache of 64KB, L1 data cache of 32KB, shared unified L2 cache of 512KB, and up to 60MB distributed unified L3 cache with error-correcting code. Each processor supports up to six DDR4 memory channels with a peak aggregate bandwidth of 128GBps and maximum memory capacity of 768GB capacity.
The processor delivers leading-edge multi-threaded performance without the need to compromise on single-threaded performance, which Qualcomm claims should result in improved overall responsiveness of the server. Many server programs and use cases already take advantage of multiple threads, including distributed databases, distributed file systems, and tiered application topologies. Despite the performance offered by the processor, it spends considerably less power than competing products. The semiconductor company notes that its product is the first server processor that is fabricated using the 10nm process node technology. In comparison, server CPUs from companies like Intel and AMD are manufactured using the 14nm process node. The use of more advanced process node technology allows for lower power consumption due to consumption of its transistors. The firm highlighted that in the same benchmark test, the Centriq 2452 processor consumes 65 Watts when running at full load while a CPU from Intel spends as much as 165 Watts while providing similar performance. The power consumption of the processor may even go down to 4 Watts once deeper idle states are used.
Despite using the Armv8 instruction set, a wide variety of open-source software can now be used on the company’s processor including important software like the operating systems, firmware, virtualization, containers, and compilers. Other features incorporated into Qualcomm’s offering include inline bandwidth compression, quality of service management, and secure root of trust. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the Centriq 2400 processor is also considerably lower than the competition, the manufacturer claims. The top-of-the-line product from Qualcomm’s lineup, the 48-core Centriq 2460, is priced at $1,995 while the 40-core Centriq 2434 processor is priced at $888. The 46-core Centriq 2453, on the other hand, costs $1,373.