Google has entered the ring of custom data center chipmakers with its first-ever ARM-based processor, named Axion. This announcement, unveiled at the Cloud Next conference in Las Vegas, signifies Google’s intent to lessen its reliance on established chip manufacturers like Intel and Nvidia.
Following the footsteps of tech titans like Amazon, Microsoft, and Alibaba, Google joins the growing trend of designing in-house processors to power its massive data centers. This move grants Google more control over chip design and potentially opens doors to performance and efficiency gains.
Axion is built on ARM’s latest Nanovers V2 technology, promising superior performance compared to existing options. Google claims a 30% improvement over the fastest general-purpose ARM virtual machines currently available in the cloud. Additionally, they boast a significant advantage over x86 chips, the current industry standard, with estimates suggesting up to 50% better performance and 60% improved energy efficiency.
While Google hasn’t divulged detailed specifications yet, Axion is intended to support both Google’s internal workloads and general-purpose computing tasks like web serving, data analysis, and databases. This versatility positions Axion as a potentially significant player in the cloud computing landscape.
The arrival of Axion intensifies the competition in the data center chip market. With established giants like Intel and AMD facing challenges from new entrants like Google, consumers can expect a continued push for innovation and potentially more efficient and powerful cloud services.
