SoftIron launches $599 ARM server for developers

Overdrive 1000 features an AMD Opteron chip and software stack including developer tools

Server and storage firm SoftIron is looking to give the fledgling ARM-based server ecosystem a boost with the release of an entry-level system aimed at developers.

Launched at the OpenSuse conference in Nuremberg, the Overdrive 1000 is an entry-level 64-bit ARM developer system based on AMD's Opteron A1100 processor, and pre-configured with a full software stack to enable developers to start building applications right out of the box.

Available now from SoftIron's website for $599 (£405), the Overdrive 1000 features a quad-core version of the Opteron A1100 backed by 8GB of DDR4 memory and a 1TB hard drive.

The system is purpose built for developers seeking a fast, reliable platform for native coding of ARM-based applications, and comes with the essential tools to get up and running straight away, unlike some development systems which are little more than a bare board, according to SoftIron.

"We have designed and built the Overdrive 1000 with one of the toughest audiences in mind: developers. Be they native 64-bit ARM, Linux focused or part of the ARM ecosystem, developers are a highly critical audience and demand the best experience from the first power-up," said SoftIron chief executive Norman Fraser.

"That is what the Overdrive 1000 delivers. We have followed a standard, open design, from the ATX power and form factor to the UEFI boot process.

As delivered, the system runs the OpenSuse Leap version of Linux, along with a suite of software tools including the Apache web server, MySQL, PHP, Xen, KVM Hypervisor, Docker and OpenJDK.

AMD is better known for its x86 processors, but began commercial shipments of the Opteron A1100 earlier this year with the aim of grabbing a slice of the developing ARM-based server market.

The Opteron A1100 family has up to eight 64-bit cores based on ARM's Cortex A57 core design, and as a system on a chip has integrated functions such as two 10Gbps Ethernet ports, eight lanes of PCI Express Gen 3, and twin Sata 3 storage controllers.