Qualcomm 10nm release date news 2016: Qualcomm begins sampling of its Centriq 2400 processor
After unveiling the world's first 10-nanometer (nm) server chip, Qualcomm also announced that it would begin shipping out samples of the Centriq 2400 to key customers for commercial sampling. The tech company also revealed that processors should be available commercially by the second half of 2017.
According to Qualcomm, the Centriq 2400 is "purpose-built for performance-oriented datacenter applications." The processor will contain 48 cores based on Qualcomm's Falkor architecture. The tech company has yet to share any performance data on the Centriq 2400, so a comparison between the processor and its x86 competitors is not possible as of the moment.
"The Qualcomm Centriq 2400 series processors will drive high performance, power efficient ARM-based servers from concept to reality," Qualcomm's senior vice president Anand Chandrasekher said in a statement.
"Qualcomm requires the leading edge of integrated circuit technology to deliver high performance at low power for the newest premium smartphones. We are first in 10nm IC technology for mobile, and leveraging our expertise in ARM processors and system on chip design, we are the first with our Qualcomm Centriq family of server processors to bring the leading edge to the datacenter," he added.
Looks like Qualcomm is getting ready to challenge Intel with its first-generation Centriq processors. While Intel is still refining its 14nm server central processing units (CPUs), Qualcomm has beaten its rivals in the race to develop 10nm ones.
Right now, Intel is the undisputed king in the server market, but tech industry insiders seem to believe that Qualcomm has the resources to come up with ARM servers that could eventually challenge Intel for the throne.
Qualcomm may be turning heads right now with its Centriq 2400 processor, but sources are quick to point out that Intel still commands more than 99 percent of the market share in the server chip market. The tech company still has a tall mountain to climb before it can even think of displacing its rivals at the top.
