[Info-vax] [OT] Architectures, was: Re: What is more important now, VMS software or hardware?

[Kerry Main]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Info-vax [mailto:info-vax-bounces at info-vax.com] On Behalf Of
> Keith Parris
> Sent: 04-Sep-14 5:48 PM
> To: info-vax at info-vax.com
> Subject: Re: [New Info-vax] [OT] Architectures, was: Re: What is more
> important now, VMS software or hardware?
> 
> On 8/29/2014 7:28 AM, Kerry Main wrote:
> > Actually, my preference for a post x86-64 port would be for a
> > Power8 / Power9 port
> 
> Seems a pretty risky target.
> 
> IBM's semiconductor manufacturing business is reportedly up for sale.
> 
> And OpenPower? "IBM's open hardware move is 'driven by desperation
> more
> than hope.'...'Adding open to Power doesn't make Power open, nor will
> it
> make Power more appealing to the vast majority of people who are
> deploying Intel servers today,' he said. 'Power is a very innovative
> architecture, but buyers tend to be very reluctant to buy into [an]
> architecture they're not using if it looks like the architecture is on
> its way out.'" - EE Times. 4/24/14,
> http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322087
> 

Just had another thought on this .. lots of rumours in various discussion
groups about what Google is thinking about PowerX. That might have a
big influence on PowerX futures.

Reference:
http://tinyurl.com/Google-PowerX
"Gordon MacKean, a senior director at Google and the chairman of the 
OpenPower Foundation that's dedicated to shared designs around the 
processor design, published a photo on Google+ of a Google server 
motherboard using IBM's new Power8 chip."

IBM has made the PowerX specs and details "open" so companies can 
use different manufacturers to build custom integrated solutions. 
Google is no doubt looking very closely at where the whole big data 
market is heading and that means lots of raw compute and IO loads.

The design teams are where the crown jewels are, and from what I 
have seen, IBM is keeping these in house so they control future 
directions. 

Focussing in house resources on strategic activities and outsourcing 
tactical day to day stuff is becoming more and more common these 
days (aka cloud stuff aka outsourcing). 

To their credit, IBM seems to be moving towards leaning less on 
selling low margin hardware stuff (sold X86 business) and focussing 
more on higher value areas like applications (big data), BI, DC hosting, 
security, Watson (billion dollar investment as well) and consulting / 
support services.

Regards,

Kerry Main
Back to the Future IT Inc.
 .. Learning from the past to plan the future

Kerry dot main at backtothefutureit dot com