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Year of writing: 2021
Author: Tony
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Data Center Data Cente r Part 5
Affect the server industry's hundreds of billions of revenue 2 Big key factor
Keywords of this article
DRAM: Dynamic random access memory, as the RAM of a computer or server, the CPU will grab data from the RAM during calculations. When the power is turned off, the data in the RAM will also be cleared.
The previous four chapters introduced the server industry chain, but what are the reasons that will affect the performance and EPS of the cloud data center server in the future?
The influencing factors include cloud demand, data center server inventory level, memory price, CPU replacement, etc. Cloud requirements have been introduced in the second chapter; and one of the most critical factors is the server inventory level, which is difficult for ordinary investors to observe and needs to understand the server inventory of the data center; unless it is actually visited, it cannot be easily obtained. Therefore, this chapter will focus on memory prices, CPU upgrades and other aspects.
1. Memory price
DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and NAND Flash (flash memory) are two types of memory. The former is responsible for fast access to data; the latter is responsible for storing large amounts of data. Memory is affected by inventory levels and supply and demand, forming a highly cyclical industry. However, memory is also an important component of data centers, dominating a large amount of data access and random access during CPU operations. Therefore, the lower the memory price At that time, the gross profit margin of white-label servers will increase.
Two, CPU
Enterprises buying servers are the same as ordinary consumers buying computers. They will consider the new and old specifications. The CPU is the key chip that drives the computing power. Therefore, when the new generation of CPU is about to be launched, enterprises often want to wait for the new CPU to be released before buying; When a new type of CPU is introduced, the price of the previous generation of CPU is usually reduced accordingly. At this time, whether the company wants to buy a newer, more efficient new CPU, or buy a lower-priced CPU of the previous generation, it will be more cost-effective. Intel has a market share of more than 80% in the server CPU market; however, due to the delay in Intel's research and development speed, this transition period has been lengthened, and the platform that is usually revised every two years has been lengthened to every three years.
From the above figure, the release schedule of Intel's server CPUs of different generations, we can know how long Intel's CPUs have been delayed recently. Intel’s specially-built CPU for servers is called Xeon. From 2017, Sky lake-SP adopted the 14nm+ process; by 2019, it was originally expected to advance the process to 10nm, but Intel launched a Cascade that still stays on the Purley platform. The lake-SP CPU adopts the 14nm++ process, because Intel's 10nm process technology is still unable to be mass-produced. By 2020, it has been more than 2 years since TSMC launched the 10nm process. Intel has updated the platform. From the Purley Platform to the Whitley Platform's third-generation Xeon, you can see the 14nm Cooper lake and 10nm Ice lake designed based on the Whitley Platform in the Roadmap below. It is a micro-architecture, but unfortunately, only 14nm+++ Cooper Lake-SP will be launched in 2020. It is a toothpaste factory! At the beginning of 2021, the 10nm process server CPU Ice Lake-SP, which has been reported in 2019, Intel finally shipped a small quantity, which was delayed for nearly two years. According to Roadmap, a new generation of Sapphire Rapids should be launched in 2021, but I don’t know how long the CPU will be delayed or will it be launched with the efficiency of squeezing toothpaste?
Fortunately, compared with the CPU generation and performance improvement, data centers and enterprises pay more attention to the demand for using servers. Therefore, when the usage has exploded in recent years, the delay of CPU launch has not delayed the need for replacement and purchase; but When the demand slows down, the delay of the CPU may cause enterprises to delay the replacement of servers.
There are a total of five related articles on cloud data centers, from the first category introduction, the second server demand side, the third industry chain, the fourth white-label server manufacturer, and the fifth article on factors affecting the industry’s prosperity. The latest and most popular cloud white-label server industry will be fully presented. I hope you will know more about the related industries. If you have any questions, you can leave a message below and I will answer them one by one.
Reference: Intel, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Trendforce