Atom makes the leap into servers

Super Micro is promoting the use of Intel’s Atom processor in servers. The “X7SLA” motherboard is designed to be mounted in a 1U rack (left) or minitower chassis, offers single or dual gigabit Ethernet ports, and includes four SATA ports with RAID support, Super Micro says.

Intel released its single-core Atom 230 processor last year, and later followed it up with a dual-core version, the Atom 330. Since that time, various vendors have put these CPUs in low-cost desktop PCs known as “nettops,” but few have incorporated them into servers. San Jose-based Super Micro, however, now suggests that these CPUs, which have TDPs of four Watts and eight Watts, respectively, could be ideal for light-duty servers or storage appliance…