Breaking News -
Storage:
Emulex And Intel To Develop New
Storage Processors
Emulex Corp. and Intel Corp. plan to develop next-generation storage
processors that for the first time integrate Serial ATA, Serial Attached SCSI
(SAS) and Fibre Channel interfaces within a single architecture.
The result of the joint development, announced today at Storage Networking
World, will be a broad line of storage processors that is expected to deliver
unprecedented performance and integration across what are projected to be the
three most widely used storage-system interfaces.
These new storage building blocks will enable equipment makers to utilize
common hardware and software components across entire families of Serial ATA,
SAS and Fibre Channel products for high-performance direct-attached storage
(DAS) and storage-area network (SAN) solutions.
This building block approach enables equipment makers to extend the value
of
their hardware and software investments over multiple generations of products.
As serial disk drives are projected to capture 81 percent of the enterprise
market by 2006, end users will benefit from scalable, complementary serial
storage solutions.
Under the agreement, Emulex will develop the protocol controller hardware,
firmware and drivers. Intel will contribute its expertise in storage processor
technology development and integrate its high-performance, low-power Intel
XScale microarchitecture as the core technology for the new processors.
Intel also will manufacture the processors on its industry-leading 90-
nanometer (nm) process technology. Emulex will market the resulting Fibre
Channel products, and Intel will market the Serial ATA and SAS products.
The jointly developed controllers will utilize Emulex's Service Level
Interface (SLI) technology. Emulex's SLI enables driver compatibility across
an entire product line, and enables firmware to be upgraded independently of
drivers, providing increased return on investment and investment protection.
Emulex's driver-based management technologies, including HBAnyware, can be
utilized by OEMs and end users to simplify management, configuration and
maintenance of both SAN and DAS environments.
The companies expect to deliver the first processors in 2004. Specific
details
will not be disclosed until the products launch. No material licensing revenue
is expected from this agreement.
"Building on Emulex's industry leadership in Fibre Channel and Intel's
proven
I/O processor technology, we're able to offer storage equipment makers the
means to much more easily and cost efficiently expand product lines and
respond to customer needs for innovative storage products," said Mike Wall,
general manager, Intel Storage Components Division. "Incorporating Intel's
XScale microarchitecture and 90-nm process technology into the equation should
result in processors with unparalleled performance and integration."
"This agreement enables Emulex to develop superior Fibre Channel solutions
while maintaining our SLI architecture leadership," said Kirk Roller,
president and chief operating officer, Emulex Corp. "This multiprotocol serial
storage architecture promises leadership benefits for our traditional market
segments as well as new opportunities, including blade server, embedded and
target storage applications. At the same time, Intel will deliver new Serial
ATA and SAS components for the DAS market segment, expanding the value of OEM
investments in Emulex APIs."
About Intel
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of
computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about
Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
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