The first servers to use the Infiniband switched-fabric interconnect are likely to find their way into pilot programmes early in the new year. Members of the Infiniband Trade Association (IBTA) say that widespread availability is due by next summer, but the first implementations are likely to be in expansion cards; PCI cards, for instance, that have an Infiniband port to that several servers can be connected together.
Buyers are likely to have to wait another 12 to 18 months after the Infiniband-enabled PCI cards come out before the technology is built into server motherboards, according to Allyson Klein, marketing programme manager for Intel's advanced component division, which is heavily involved with development of the standard.
When Infiniband does appear on motherboards, it will have a massive effect on the way servers are bought and configured. --Matt Loney, ZDNet News U.K.
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