Arm, Microsoft at pains to say this CPU arch can be trusted with real server work

Arm is this week celebrating passing a few of its own self-set milestones in its long quest to compete against x86 stalwarts Intel and AMD in the server processor space. One, we're told, is that Microsoft Ampere Altra-based Azure servers are now Arm SystemReady SR certified, "the first cloud solution provider (CSP) server to …

[Mostly Irrelevant]

Microsoft has yet to produce a ARM version of SQL Server, that's a big stumbling block for the idea of Azure on ARM.

[MatthewSt]

They're part way there - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/azure-sql/edge/

[Sammy Smalls]

woah oh! Living on a prayer.

As per icon...

[bombastic bob]

if it were open source, it would go a LOT faster... (because a lot of contributors would want to participate)

[ShadowSystems]

You've got to hand it to them...

They're just trying to get an ARM & a leg up on their rivals. I think they should put in a bit more elbow grease, toe the line, put their noses to the grindstone, & really push ahead with their plans.

I'll get my coat, it's the one with the pockets full of mannequin parts. =-Jp

[Steve Davies 3]

If you think that ARM is so great

How about making Windows/ARM available for us normal folk to download and use?

Cue the image of sagebrush blowing through the deserts of Redmond.

[Stuart Castle]

Re: If you think that ARM is so great

I have a niice little Mac Mini M1 at home that I'd like to at least try Windows on. I've got no real use for it at home, as the Mac sits on the desk next to a decent PC, just curious. And if/when Windows comes to Apple silicon, I'm likely to be called on at work to get a deployment working.

I believe the position Apple are taking is they are happy to provide the relevant drivers (perhaps in some sort of boot camp like package), but need Microsoft to provide a way for Mac users to obtain Windows for Arm legally.

[Robigus]

Few mention power consumption

Anecdotal evidence shows that ARM cpus have a much lower power consumption that Intel on the same workload (look at the comparisons with M1 vs i9).

I would have thought that this fact alone is enough to get the data centre flingers positively vibrating with excitement.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Few mention power consumption

It's very possible that performance wise ARM uses more power than x86 unless you create your own like Amazon has but, even then only certain jobs will be done on ARM. The amount of specialization that has gone into x86 is vastly ahead of ARM. You mention Apple's M1, which is a good example of not being a power hog but also not being the fastest at anything... that's ARM's mantra.

[bombastic bob]

Re: Few mention power consumption

ARM might have an advantage in massively parallel processing algorithms. More cores in less space on the die.

So perhaps some better use of parallel cores in the data center? Then 'slower wide' vs 'faster narrow' might prove some interesting concepts.

(unfortunately I think too many things are still "linear" in nature and do not parallel well)

[amanfromMars 1]

Well, what do you think for Internetional Internets Internetworking WWWeb Embedding Defences?

amanfromMars [2205191005] ....... shares more than just a tad freely on https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2022/5/17/special-ops-tech-priorities-include-protected-comms-counter-uas

Future overwhelming and almighty advantage in any military and/or all civil operational environments is both provided and guaranteed by effective PACTivity broadbandcasting/beaming surreal instruction sets for SMARTR* world wide web browsers utilisation from Remote Secure Spaces with Really Simple Syndication exercising quantum leap communications on Earth.

A Persistent Advanced Cyber Treat more fully revealed in one particular guise via The Register [Biting the hand that feeds IT] and a post entitled "Virtually Augmented Realities .... The Next Logical Steps .... Quantum Communications Leaps" ....... https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2022/05/17/intel_riscv_contributions/#c_4460997

SMARTR* .... SMARTR Mentoring Analysis Reporting Titanic Research

And I suppose the National DEFENSE Industrial Association and the likes of the Pentagon are similarly smitten with The Human Dilemma ....... "to Simply Believe what others before you and now way out far ahead of you know to be honestly true as a fact for fiction to present as an Alternate Viable Reality/Augmented Virtual Reality."

PS ..... What else do you imagine happens to information and intelligence freely shared here on National DEFENSE whenever it doesn't appear, other than it being shared freely elsewhere for A.N.Others to make greater use of?

Would you like to make great use of that facility, Arm SystemReady SR certified to AIMaster Pilot Right Royal Standards ‽ Per Ardua ad Astra are essentially also its credentials for provenance of future source from generations of past iterations rooted in flight operations ........ on Secure AIR Mail Led Missions.

You might like to ask the UKGBNI MoD and the Royal Air Force if they know anything more they wish to share to ensure no catastrophic scare should anyone dare to not be aware and fully mindful of the implications and noblesse oblige obligations to Arm SystemReady SR Certifications ........ which at Pyramid Peak Levels deliver Cartes Blanches and Unlimited Wealth for EMPowering Fields of Superb Almighty Play and Almighty Superb Global Operating Device Work.

You know, the sort of toil that keeps everyones’ lights on and lit and the world still turning to present today as a tomorrow from yesterday which now is fast approaching an ignominious past moment in time in a new vast open space of future viable immaculate sources with the cream of the crop from a great pool of deep see ideas for Current Running Visions Streaming Advanced Mainline Programs.

Who/What does that for you, nowadays?