UK Intel server farm opens for business

A giant server farm offering Web and application hosting services has opened for business in Reading, and run by Intel Online Services.

The farm occupies 100,000 square foot and can accommodate 10,000 servers, eventually employing 250 people.

But Intel is being coy about which make and type of x86 machines are being deployed in the building. It is unclear whether they are from Dell, Compaq, HP or are of the "white box" variety which Intel used to manufacture and re-badge.

Both HP and Compaq said earlier this year that while they are interested in supplying ASPs with their kit, they did not intend to open their own server farms, as they considered this would be competing with their own customers. Dell, however, has plans to do exactly that.

Intel has already pulled in blue chip business (cough) from the likes of BP, Amoco, and the Tour de France operators. The centre includes "high level physical and network security as well as redundant power cooling and network connectivity" in addition to "an ultra-dense server environment".

There are plans to open even more of these centres right the way across the world. ®

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