Today's demanding networked markets require 64-bit compute performance for applications in the telecom, Internet service provider and embedded control arenas. Such applications are, however, extremely cost-sensitive due to the competitive nature of these markets. They want to be sure they have a high-performance, scalable, reliable hardware platform that is able to meet all their customers' expectations for high performance and high availability. OEMs and VAIs are now looking to use standards-based, open platforms. Better yet, a standards-based platform allows higher design flexibility, enabling these system integrators to leverage all the technologies that flow from an open standard.
Physical space is also at a premium for the network market.
To produce cost-effective, increasingly compact products for their customers, integrators need to fit as much compute density and performance in as small a package as they can. Therefore, the platform they choose must deliver the highest levels of integration possible. It delivers the performance, flexibility and value required by many emerging applications such as general-purpose servers, configured servers and embedded systems applications. Its PCI bus interface can control up to four PCI devices, enabling the processor to interact directly with a PCI bus. With all these capabilities, this platform should easily support the intensive computing tasks typical of emerging embedded network applications.