New IBM blades cut heat output

HS21 BladeCenter servers will consume less than 2kW per 14-blade chassis, according to IBM

Server specialist IBM has announced a new BladeCenter HS21 blade server based on Intel's 32bit low-power Core Duo “Sossaman” chip. The move will enable firms to significantly reduce the power consumed by a chassis of blade servers.

IBM spokesman Luke Shutler, said previously a chassis of 14 fully configured blades would consume over five kilowatts. “We find customers with a maximum 15kW per rack. Two or three blade chassis from any vendor would completely consume all of the power available to the rack,” he added. A set of 14 BladeCenter HS21 blades would consume less than 2kW, enabling firms to double the number of blades per rack, he added.