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Former Intel president Renée James launched Ampere Computing in February 2018 to build ARM-based server processors for cloud and data-center customers. Backed by The Carlyle Group, the startup aimed to give operators an alternative to Intel- and AMD-based x86 servers.
Who was the former Intel president behind Ampere?
Renée James, a former president of Intel, became Ampere Computing’s chair and CEO. Her career and industry relationships were viewed as assets in a market where new processors must win the confidence of major cloud operators and data-center companies. IDC analyst Shane Rau said at the time, “It’s in her DNA” to lead a technology company, particularly one focused on processors. TIRIAS Research principal analyst Kevin Krewell pointed to her customer relationships and recognition as potential advantages for Ampere’s efforts to enter companies and data centers. Data Center Knowledge reported those assessments in 2018.
James described the challenge of introducing a new technology as familiar territory: “My entire career I’ve been doing things I was told I couldn’t do,” she told TechCrunch.
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Ampere was formed in October 2017 and publicly launched in February 2018 with Carlyle backing. Its technology came from AppliedMicro’s X-Gene ARMv8 64-bit server processor business. After MACOM acquired AppliedMicro in early 2017, it sold the X-Gene CPU business to Project Denver Holdings, a Carlyle-backed company. That operation was relaunched as Ampere, with James as chair and CEO. Data Center Knowledge covered the company’s formation and launch.
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Ampere reportedly had about 250 employees at launch. That scale reflected an established processor effort being repositioned as a new company, rather than a startup beginning with no chip technology.
What did Ampere’s first server processor offer?
TechCrunch reported that Ampere’s first processor used a custom Armv8-A 64-bit server design. Its reported launch specifications were:
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- Operating frequency of up to 3.3 GHz.
- Support for up to 1 TB of memory.
- A 125-watt power envelope.
These are launch-era specifications reported in 2018, not a comparison against a named Xeon or EPYC model under a common benchmark. Clock speed, memory capacity, and power figures alone do not establish which processor delivers more work for a particular application.
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How was an ARM server chip different from Intel Xeon?
The central distinction was the processor instruction-set family: Ampere was building on Arm architecture, while Intel Xeon processors used x86. At Ampere’s launch, the question for buyers was not simply which architecture had the larger market share. It was whether a specific ARM server platform could meet a workload’s performance, power, software, and infrastructure needs as reliably and economically as established x86 systems.
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| Decision factor | What a data-center buyer needed to assess |
|---|---|
| Performance and power | Measure the useful work completed for the workload at the system’s actual power use. A stated 125-watt envelope does not, by itself, prove better performance per watt than a competing CPU. |
| Memory | Check both the capacity and bandwidth required. Ampere’s launch report cited support for up to 1 TB, but that capacity figure alone does not describe memory bandwidth or application performance. |
| Throughput and frequency | Compare whole-system results for the target service or job. Ampere’s reported maximum of 3.3 GHz is not directly comparable to another chip’s clock without accounting for workload, core design, and system configuration. |
| Software readiness | Confirm that operating systems, applications, development tools, and deployment processes work on the target ARM platform. Compatibility and engineering effort can affect the cost and risk of migration. |
| Infrastructure fit | Determine whether the processor is available in systems and cloud environments that match the operator’s needs, and whether it fits existing deployment and support practices. |
| Total cost of ownership | Account for the complete cost of running the workload, including hardware, power, software adaptation, operations, and performance at the required service level. |
Ampere’s vice president Kumar Sankaran described the company’s intended value proposition as performance optimization for data-center vendors, with the goal of higher performance, lower power use, and reduced total cost of ownership. Those were company goals at launch, not independently established outcomes for every workload.
Which workloads was Ampere targeting?
At launch, Ampere targeted web-tier serving, big-data analytics, and storage. The company was also designing follow-on processors aimed at artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Data Center Knowledge described those targets and plans.
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- On-board ST-LINK/V2-1 debugger/programmer with SWD connector
- Can be powered from USB.
- Three LEDs, Two Push-buttons
- Support of wide choice of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) including IAR, ARM Keil, GCC-based IDEs
The fit depended on the software stack and the operator’s ability to deploy ARM systems. An architecture alternative could be attractive where a workload’s performance and power profile justified it, but buyers also had to weigh software readiness and compatibility with their cloud or data-center infrastructure.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsHow established was ARM in servers when Ampere launched?
ARM server processors were a small part of the market in the launch-era figures cited by Data Center Knowledge. The article reproduced IDC estimates that Intel and AMD x86 chips held 98.5% of the server market in the third quarter of 2017, while ARM-based systems held 0.3%. IDC projected ARM-based server processors could reach 9.9% share in 2021. These are historical estimates and a forecast reported in 2018; the projection should not be read as a statement of what the market ultimately became.
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The gap helps explain both the opportunity and the difficulty. Ampere was entering a market where x86 had overwhelming adoption, so competing required more than a capable chip: the processor and its surrounding systems had to be useful to customers’ software teams and fit data-center operations.
What was Ampere’s launch status?
Data Center Knowledge reported that Tier 1 data-center operators were sampling the processor and that production was planned for the second half of 2018. Sampling indicated evaluation by large operators, not broad commercial availability or production at scale. The same report described the web, analytics, and storage targets and the planned AI and high-performance-computing designs.
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