Super Micro looks to server design in quest to save client space

Bloomberg

Density matters to Super Micro Computer Inc. To meet customer demands to take up less space, the maker of servers is reducing the number of cables inside its products, their structure revamped to make room for more processing power and memory. That’s putting the focus on improving designs for the computers that run networks, as the San Jose, California-based company seeks to boost performance, without making the package bulkier, to win clients from Dell Inc. to Lenovo Group Ltd.
“All tier one companies are about design,” Chief Executive Officer Charles Liang said in an interview. “You will find our density 50 percent higher. We save customers lots of space.”
Fewer cables also brings better air flow. That, combined with shared adapters and fans, results in less power waste. Liang said more than half of Super Micro’s servers meet the highest levels of power efficiency in the market.
Super Micro’s relationship with Apple Inc. has attracted more attention recently. Apple cut ties with the company due to security concerns with its servers, the Information reported last month. Liang said no “valid security concern” had been found.
But with another technology giant, Super Micro has forged a strong connection. Intel Corp., its main supp-lier of processors, recently installed more than 36,000 high-density units in its data center in Silicon Valley.
The relationship gives Super Micro a preview of Intel’s new chips.
Super Micro Chief Financial Officer Howard Hideshima told analysts in January that when Intel launches a new product, its engineers work alongside a Super Micro crew, giving the latter an edge in preparing its next servers.