Microsoft to demonstrate Samsung chips at technology centre

If pilot is successful the trial will be rolled out internationally

Sumsung Electronics has entered into a pilot partnership with the Microsoft Technology Center in Munich that will see Samsung demonstrating its new DDR4 chips to Microsoft customers at the facility.

If the pilot is successful it will be rolled out to Microsoft's 25 technology centres globally, including centres in Reading and Edinburgh.

This pilot is part of a bid by Samsung to push its new DDR4 DRAM module built on 30nm technology, which it claims is the most energy-efficient of its kind on the market.

Samsung claims the chips can reduce power consumption by 40 per cent over DDR3 while improving data transfer rates.

The technology centre allows Microsoft customers to trial new technologies from Microsoft's partners while simulating their own operating environment.

The facilities include an 800 server datacentre comprising 400 servers owned by Microsoft itself and 400 by its partners.

Potential customers can now test their technologies at the centre with Samsung's DDR4 DRAM chip incorporated into the server thereby allowing them to assess the cost and energy savings they could make if they were to refresh their datacentre.

The service provided by Microsoft is for free and can take three forms:

• A half-day roadmap briefing that will see customers work out the technical detail of an implementation then an IT strategy.

• An architectural design session that can last for between a day and a week.

• A proof-of-concept session with the help of technical experts – this can last for up to six weeks.

Samsung will join dozens of Microsoft partners including Siemens, Nokia and SAP, who can combine their technology at the datacentre to create proofs of concepts.

Recent Microsoft Technology Center customers include the Royal Bank of Scotland and Tyson Foods.