Low-voltage Xeon server processors draw just 50 watts

Intel has launched two frugal server quad-cores drawing just 50 watts, or 12.5w per core.

The low-voltage 45nm Xeon L5420 and L5410 clock 2.5GHz and 2.33GHz respectively and are said to be 25 percent faster than the previous generation Xeons of their class while maintaining the same thermal envelope.

The have 12MB of on-die cache and a 1333 MHz front side buses and bring to 35 the number of processors Intel has released using its latest 45nm hafnium-doped high-k gate technology.

Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel's Server Platforms Group, said: "These chips deliver the speed needed while using meager amounts of energy."
Intel plans to ship before July a new dual-core low-voltage 40watts processor clocking 3 GHz, with a 6 MB cache and a 1333 MHz FSB.

Since unveiling the industry's first 45nm processors last November, Intel today is shipping more than 35 different server, desktop and notebook processors with Intel's Hafnium-based high-k metal gate formula and 45nm technology.

The L5420 with cost $380 (£190) in bulk and the L5410 $320 (£160).