Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, today announced that it is ramping up 40-nm class production of high-density DDR3 memory chips to accommodate increased demand in server applications. The recent launch of Intel Corporation's Intel Xeon processor 5600 Series, as well as the introduction of Xeon 7500 processors support the growing industry demand for enhanced performance and low power platform solutions, especially when paired with DDR3 memory.

Samsung's DDR3 - the industry best-selling DDR3 - enables OEMs to use up to 192 gigabytes (GBs) on a Xeon 5500 platform (16GBx12) with at least a 73 percent improvement in power consumption at 1.35 volts, when accompanied by the Xeon 5600 processor. DDR3 has double the memory bandwidth of DDR2, with speeds up to 1333 Megabits per second (Mbps). With the new Xeon 7500 platform, OEMs can use up to 1 terabyte per 4-socket system and with more sockets, can easily scale to memory densities 2 TBs and higher. Later this year, Samsung's 4 Gigabit (Gb) DDR3 chips and modules also will be available for use with the latest Xeon platforms and processors.

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today introduced 8GB Crucial DDR3-1066 (PC3-8500) CL9 very low-profile (VLP), ECC registered dual in-line memory modules (RDIMMs), enabling blade and low-profile server users to populate their systems with up to 144GB of memory, depending upon motherboard and processor configuration. Additionally, these new high-density, low-profile modules are guaranteed compatible with Intel Xeon processors based on the Nehalem architecture. The 8GB Crucial VLP RDIMM modules are available through select resellers worldwide and online.

VLP memory modules enable powerful and compact computing power within server systems, because they are designed to stand vertically in order to accommodate additional memory modules and enable improved system airflow. Blade servers, as well as servers utilized for virtualization, will benefit from these new high-density Crucial VLP modules.

ASUS today introduced the new ASUS KGPE-D16 motherboard featuring the AMD G34 socket for 8- and 12-Core AMD Opteron 6100 Series processors. Equipped with an AMD SR5690/SP5100 chipset as well as supporting 4-channels of DDR3 memory per processor, ASUS' unique PIKE upgrade kit, and ASUS ASMB4-iKVM module for remote management, the KGPE-D16 is a reliable platform that runs heavy server operations while achieving exceptionally low power consumption.

Exceptional Processing Threshold with AMD Opteron 6000 Series platform (codenamed "Maranello"). Equipped with the AMD SR5690/SP5100 chipset, the KGPE-D16 utilizes AMD Opteron 6100 Series processors to help deliver exceptionally efficient performance to handle massive real-world workloads. Tom Lin, general manager, ASUS Server Business Unit said, "The KGPE-D16 serverboard supports extreme performance typical in enterprises or institutions with high-performance computing demands or web-facing servers which reach critical processing levels when internet traffic surges. So we are pleased that the AMD Opteron 6100 processor and AMD Server Chipset combination provides the muscle to handle these situations."

A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., the worldwide leading manufacturer in high-performance DRAM modules and flash application products, today announced its DDR3L ("L" for low voltage) 1066/1333 (1.35volt) MHz Registered DIMM and DDR3L 1066/1333 MHz (1.35volt) ECC DIMM low voltage server memories have been certified by Intel, that able to perform lower power consumption with great reliability to increase better efficiency on Westmere-EP processor-based server.

"Enterprise often requires 24x7 operations from server memory for data accessing and collecting with reliability and performance requirements," said Richard Shen, manager of A-DATA product management department. "We are proud to offer our DDR3L 1066/1333 MHz R-DIMM and DDR3L 1066/1333 MHz ECC DIMM low voltage server memory that has certified by Intel to enterprise customers, which delivers high performance and great reliability with less power consumption to meet enterprise's critical requirements, as well as to protect and to preserve the environment."

ASUS has unveiled a comprehensive suite of portable, multimedia, and productivity solutions that places it at the forefront of cloud computing. ASUS strives to offer optimized cloud computing experiences by harnessing innovation and a broad range of cloud-enabled solutions. Professionals can enhance their productivity with access to real-time applications while on the go. At home, the entire family can enjoy rich multimedia entertainment with cloud-optimized solutions and services.

We posted their press release here, but have now managed to get a few more infos for you. The unit will only ship in silver, comes with a 3.5" SATA hard drive and sports multiple USB connectors in the back along with a network jack. It has the same foot print as an AppleTV, but is slightly taller, while the casing seems to be made of aluminum. Besides that, we snapped an image of an external hard drive with an LCD screen. While this may not be anything out of the ordinary, the technology used in the display allows it to function just like eInk. It does not require any power to change the state of the screen, so that you will always know how much free space is available, even when it is not connected.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA M'SERV S2100: a compact and versatile server system suitable for a range of applications for SOHO and SMB customers. Available to OEM customers, the VIA M'SERV S2100 is a mere 10.2" long by 4.7" high and provides up to four terabytes of storage in a stylish, compact, low power and low noise system.

The VIA M'SERV S2100 is the first product of its kind to offer the unique advantages of the high-performance, 64-bit VIA Nano processor. This makes the VIA M'SERV S2100 capable of addressing many traditional and next-generation server applications including sophisticated backup, cloud-intermediary service roles along with other storage oriented server applications such as NVR (Network Video Recorder) systems and Log servers.

LaCie demonstrates a new network storage server based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform. The product will be shown for the first time at the CES. This server leverages the success of LaCie's award winning 5big Network, which features five user-replaceable drives, Gigabit Ethernet, and data protection support for data integrity. The technology demonstration shows that by combining Microsoft and LaCie technologies on a single platform, small business users can enjoy a seamless interface to automatically back up computers to a single server. The server secures their backup both locally and remotely by automatically copying their critical data to the cloud, using LaCie's Wuala technology.

"LaCie's network server offers an exciting design and provides plenty of storage options with terabytes of capacity and the ability to back up data from local computers and to cloud-based services," said Leslie McGuire, Director of Windows Server Marketing at Microsoft. "We're pleased to have LaCie join us as a Windows Home Server partner."

In the digital age, people are creating and accessing digital content like never before. As such, they require a storage device that is powerful enough to store and serve this content, but friendly enough to manage quickly and effortlessly. Today, digital storage leader Thecus Technology is proud to announce the Thecus N4200. Fast, secure, and incredibly easy-to-use, the N4200 is the ideal home NAS for the digital lifestyle.

The N4200 was designed to enable users to access their data both quickly and easily. It begins with the new Intel Atom dual-core processor D510, which runs at 1.66 GHz and, in combination with 1GB of DDR2 memory, delivers both blistering data transfer speeds and increased system response. Users can easy manage their unit with the N4200's dual displays. The LCD offers a wealth of system information, including hard disk and network status, while the big and bright 2.8" OLED display allows users to modify a number of settings directly on the device including WAN, LAN, Link Aggregation, languages and more, making the N4200 the friendliest Thecus NAS ever.

Seagate Technology today announced worldwide availability of the Seagate Secure Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) option across its portfolio of enterprise-class hard drives. Products with the Seagate Secure option include: Savvio 15K.2, Savvio 10K.3, Constellation and Cheetah 15K.7 drives. These enterprise-class products are an extension of Seagate's first-to-market leadership with Seagate Secure Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) technology, designed to deliver data-at-rest security for servers and storage systems.

"Self-Encrypting Drives are one of the easiest, most cost-effective security measures companies can implement," said Eric Ouellet, vice president at Gartner. "The use of SEDs provides businesses with complete data-at-rest protection against information breaches that can occur in drives and systems that have been repurposed, decommissioned, disposed of, sent for repair, misplaced or stolen. Because all disk media eventually leaves a company's control, the use of SEDs ensures that data is protected at these critical stages of a system's life cycle."

ASUS today announced the launch of its new RS300-E6 Series servers featuring the Intel 3420 PCH chipset and Intel Xeon 3400 Series Processors. With dual or quad core processor configurations, the RS300-E6 Series can scale up performance immediately to support high-volume workloads. Comprising the RS300-E6/PS2 and RS300-E6/PS4 models, the series comes in a 1U form factor housing a single-package processor. Additionally, with its expansion options, the series provides exceptional upgrade capabilities.

Micron Technology, Inc. today announced that it has produced the industry's first DDR3 load-reduced, dual-inline memory module (LRDIMM) and will begin sampling 16-gigabyte (GB) versions this fall. By reducing load on the server memory bus, Micron's LRDIMMs provide the option to support higher data frequencies and significantly increase memory capacity.

The new LRDIMMs will be manufactured using Micron's leading-edge 1.35-volt, 2-gigabit (Gb) 50-nanometer DDR3 memory chips, allowing the company to easily and cost-effectively increase server module capacity because of the chips' high-density and industry-leading small die size. Micron's 2Gb 50nm DDR3 product is currently in qualification with customers and is ramping toward high volume production.

Microsoft Corp. today announced the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the next versions of its flagship desktop and server operating systems. With the completion of this development phase, industry partners are readying products in time for the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 worldwide general launches. Windows 7 will be generally available to customers around the world on October 22, and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be generally available on or before that date. As always, current customers of the Windows Volume Licensing program, Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers and TechNet subscribers will be among the first to get customer access to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in the coming weeks.

Microsoft will make the announcement on its Windows Team and Windows Server Blogs later today. More information about today's news is available via the following links:

• Windows Team Blog
• Windows Server Blog
• Partner Web sites: readyset7.com and talkingaboutwindows.com
• Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 for businesses: microsoft.com and microsoft.com/windowsserver2008

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced a ground-breaking upgrade to the NAS management software that powers its Turbo NAS lineup of ultra-high performance NAS servers. Version 3.1 of the NAS management software, embedded as firmware, adds significant new features including virtual disk support (up to 8 virtual disks via iSCSI expansion over the network), exclusive QNAP RAID Recovery that can recover a degraded or inactive RAID 1, 5, or 6 due to unintentional removal of drives. Network Discovery Services are enhanced with new Bonjour support offering zero-configuration networking for HTTP, SAMBA, FTP, AFP, and SSH based networks, and full UPnP support. Other new features of the 3.1 firmware include EXT4 support for very large volumes and file sizes, SNMP support, and bitmap support for faster rebuilding of RAID volume after a crash or adding/removing a drive.

The new 3.1 NAS management firmware ushers in a completely new AJAX based User Interface that allows easy NAS configuration via a Web interface allowing less technical-savvy users to easily install the NAS server on the network with simple wizards for adding new users, and setting up services. The new UI supports Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari (version 3 & 4), FireFox 3, and Google Chrome web browsers. Administrators can choose from 3 different color themes, 15 languages, and even enable a QNAP RSS feed that will keep them up to date with important product news and updates.

Transcend Information (Transcend), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today released a new line of server-grade DDR3 ECC DIMM and Registered DIMM premium memory modules equipped with thermal sensors. This advanced innovation in thermal monitoring technology can greatly enhance memory reliability, efficiency, and overall system stability, making these new modules perfect for use in dedicated servers as well as workstations.
For high-end systems that constantly process huge amounts of data under non-stop operating conditions, CPU speed regulation and various other techniques to prevent overheating have become increasingly important in hardware design. In order to provide increased performance, Transcend now offers server-grade DDR3 modules that come equipped with an advanced thermal sensor. This allows motherboard chipsets to monitor the exact temperature of each memory module and adjust the memory load accordingly, ensuring the best possible system performance while at the same time protecting the DRAM modules from potentially catastrophic failure and compromised system stability.

ASUS, the leading producer of servers and workstations, recently announced the availability of its latest 5U pedestal and rack-mountable servers and workstations-the ASUS TS700-E6/RS8 and TS500-E6/PS4. Both are based on Dual and Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processor 5500 series platforms with DDR3 memory and PCIe 2.0 support. They also feature additional expansion slots which can also be used for a dedicated graphics card, a MIO network card and other expansion options for personal workstation use-providing customers with high flexibility, reliability, storage capacity and expandability.

ASUS, a leading producer of innovative server and workstation solutions, today announced three cutting-edge solutions designed to address the specific needs of SOHO and Business Enterprises. First in the line-up is the ASUS P6T7 WS SuperComputer motherboard, which provides users with sublime graphics capabilities and flexible high speed data input/output. Next is the ASUS RS700D-E6 Duo Nodes 1U Server, which features independent power supplies for superb reliability-giving business owners complete peace of mind-while offering exceptional space savings in the form of 4 + 4 hot-swappable 2.5-inch SATA/SAS hard disk drives. Finally, the ASUS Z8NA-D6 is the world's first slim dual processor server and workstation motherboard, making it the best workstation foundation for all forms of businesses.

NVIDIA Corporation and Supermicro today announced the immediate availability of a new class of server that combines massively parallel NVIDIA Tesla GPUs with multi-core CPUs in a single 1U rack-mount server. This unique configuration delivers 12 times the performance of a traditional quad-core CPU-based 1U server.
Supermicro is first to market and is demonstrating the NVIDIA Tesla-based SuperServer 6016T-GF-TM2 at Computex 2009 in Taiwan this week (booth # N806, Nangang Upper Exhibition Hall).

Intel Corporation today previewed a new Intel Xeon processor codenamed "Nehalem-EX." The processor will be at the heart of the next generation of intelligent and expandable high-end Intel server platforms, which will deliver a number of new technical advancements and boost enterprise computing performance.

In production later this year, the Nehalem-EX processor will feature up to eight cores inside a single chip supporting 16 threads and 24MB of cache. Its performance increase will be dramatic, posting the highest-ever jump from a previous generation processor.

Super Micro Computer, Inc., a leader in application-optimized, high-performance server solutions, today announced that its latest generation of enhanced, high-capacity storage chassis with Gold Level certified 1200-watt redundant power supplies are shipping in volume. These chassis feature Supermicro's advanced cooling subsystem designs to deliver optimal system efficiency and TCO by reducing customers' energy bills.

A pioneer of high-efficiency server technology, Supermicro has been leading the way with the most efficient systems for years. As the APAC chair of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, the company has successfully encouraged others within the industry to improve, too. Enabling these new 93%+ power supplies has re-established Supermicro as the true leader in producing the industry's most energy-efficient systems.

Acer today began shipping and selling its Aspire easyStore Home Server for customers in the United States. The Acer easyStore AH340-UA230N marks the company's entrance in the home server market. The black cude is outfitted with an Intel Atom 230 processor, 2 GB DDR2 RAM, 1 TB of storage, and an additional three 3.5-inch hot swappable bays for a maximum storage capacity of 7 TB. Microsoft Windows Home Server OS is running the server. The Acer Aspire easyStore AH340-UA230N Home Server is available now in the U.S. for a MSRP of $399.99.

Having successfully established the Nehalem architecture-derived Core i7 series as the industry's fastest consumer processors available, and recently propagating the architecture to two-socket Xeon series for servers and high-end workstations, Intel is set to push up parallelism two-fold with the Nehalem-EX 8-core enterprise processor. The company will detail this new line of chips next week, although a commercial-launch can be expected only in late 2009 or early 2010.

The new chip will succeed the company's own Xeon E7000 "Dunnington" series 6-core processors, for having the highest available parallelism per socket. The 8 physical x86-64 processing cores will further feature HyperThreading technology, sending the logical-processor count to 16 threads per socket. Each processor packs 2.3 billion transistors. The processor will further be designed for systems with more than two sockets per board. Currently although server-builders sell 1U and 2U servers with more than two Nehalem quad-core processors, the system is designed by using two (or more) two-socket mainboards interconnected using Infiniband. The announcement will be made on May 26, in an address headed by Boyd Davis, Intel's general manager of Server Platforms Marketing Group.

Prominent server builder Dell is looking to tap the potential of VIA's Nano processor, in building compact server called XS11-VX8, that will be ready for high-density web-server applications. The compact form-factor, coupled with its energy-efficient chipset made the 64-bit Nano the obvious choice.

Dell intends to make this a "hot-plug" server, which is not much larger than a 3.5" hard drive. Twelve of these servers could fit into a 2U chassis, so power cooling, and connectivity could be shared and managed better. Each server will have room for its dedicated hard drive, and will have up to 3 GB of RAM.

This product will be marketed by Dell's Data Center Solutions group, which targets customers who buy these in thousands of units at a time. There are reportedly 30~40 such companies worldwide. The server also uses low power consumption as one of its biggest selling points. According to Dell, it idles at a mere 19W, and consumes no more than 29W at full-load. The XS11-VX8 will be officially introduced in June.

Patriot Memory today starts offering high-performance unbuffered DDR3 DIMMs with ECC for servers. Designed to compliment the triple channel technology of Intel's Core i7 platform, Patriot's new products offer both single channel and triple-channel kits that range from 2 GB on a single module and exceed 12 GB on three 4 GB modules. All modules are also covered by a lifetime warranty and free technical support.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announces the VIA VB8002 Mini-ITX board targeted at media server markets. The VIA VB8002 brings the superior performance efficiency of the VIA Nano processor to consumer-focused server products that require the right blend of power efficiency and raw processing performance.

The VIA VB8002 Mini-ITX board continues VIA's drive into compact, power-efficient multimedia server markets and is designed to meet the needs of consumers who not only want to securely store, manage and share their media libraries, but also stream high quality content in their homes.