On the first read, it sounded like blade servers all over again. You see, Intel is working to introduce a new "microserver" standard to be offered at the Server System Infrastructure Forum "by the end of the year." Assuming the groups' board votes for its approval, group members will be able to use the designs on a royalty-free basis, Jason Waxman, general manager of Intel's high-density computing group, told CNET News.

What exactly is a microserver? According to Intel, it is basically a small motherboard consisting of a single processor with four memory banks and housed in a chassis with lots of other such boards. Sounds like a blade server, doesn't it? However, Intel is adamant that there is a market niche for microservers, notwithstanding the fact that blade servers never really took off the way they were expected to.

In the same CNET News article, Waxman draws attention to the needs of web hosting providers. According to him, microservers will address the requirements of these providers by providing "reasonably good performance" via a relatively simple platform that works in a "low enough power envelope."

Another thing that is brought up in the article is the idea that some customers will simply like the idea of having their own dedicated piece of hardware. I'm not sure if this is backed up by any form of market research, though I confess that this would appeal to me, from a purely geek point of view.

Between the growing popularity of cloud computing and the entrenched adoption of virtualization, the market I see for microservers seems to be a very narrow niche indeed, even in the context of a web hosting provider. And why would non-web hosting providers even think about getting microservers?

Am I missing something here? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

By: Paul Mah for .