I find GoGrid’s announcement that it is switching to Intel “Nehalem” processors a bit curious, but also perhaps indicative of things to come. Users are not supposed to care about the processor level of cloud infrastructures, except maybe to the degree that they’re running specialty apps apps that require specialty chips (e.g., GPUs). But as cloud capabilities become more commoditized, low-level concerns like hypervisor, processor, storage arrays, etc., could become differentiating factors. If my VM will perform better running on a Nehalem processor than an older-generation chip, or if a lower-power chip means a lower bill for me, or if I just trust NetApp storage more than I trust 3PAR, maybe that sells me on your cloud.
Infrastructure Links for this Week
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The technology behind Disney’s Club Penguin

Design simplicity, plus the capacity to cope with 150 million registered - and impatient, demanding - users.
Submitted by Paul Miller
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ARM CTO: We’re changing server economics

By licensing IP to other chip makers, ARM hopes to disrupt a business dominated by Intel.
Submitted by Paul Miller
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From fixed to frictionless enterprise

We have such a long way still to go, but Phil Wainewright lays out an interesting argument about the role of the cloud in empowering the enterprise.
Submitted by Paul Miller
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HP belatedly recognises the lunacy of (sort of) announcing a sale months before they'd lined up a possible buyer and back-tracks. Server division gets to retain its bulk negotiating position with component suppliers, too.
Submitted by Paul Miller
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Top 5 tips from cloud superstars Hamilton and Bechtolsheim

Common sense leads the way.
Submitted by Paul Miller
