In addition to Hewlett-Packard (HP) and IBM, Dell recently launched its latest micro-server, the PowerEdge T20, targeting small enterprises and personal studios. Since these types of businesses are more popular in the Asia Pacific region, especially China, micro-server vendors are expected to focus on pushing their related products in these markets, according to sources from server players.
To power the micro-server products, AMD recently launched its Opteron X2150 APU with a power consumption of only 11W and price of US$99, and the Opteron X1150 with a consumption of 9W and price of US$64, while Intel is pushing its Atom S series processors in the market.
Micro-server shipments in 2013 are estimated to increase 230% on year from 88,000 units in 2012 to 291,000 units. The volume will grow further to 1.2 million units by 2016, accounting for 10% of total server shipments worldwide, the sources noted, citing figures from IHS.
Dell's major server suppliers are Wistron, Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and Inventec and it recently included Compal Electronics. Quanta Computer, which used to be a supplier, already lost its orders due to its moves to develop own-brand servers.
