I’ll not debate whether Cloud Computing is a passing fad, marketing hype, a revolution in computing, etc.; what I do know for a fact is that the interest in this model, from equipment vendors, service providers and end users is staying strong.  As much as Intel is reaching out into the industry to learn how people are hoping to take advantage of this phenomenon, what’s exciting to someone like me is that more and more service providers are approaching us on this is topic and seeking our input and guidance.  Service providers of various kinds are asking for Intel’s opinion and advice on how to prepare and evolve their data center architecture and practices to align with the expectations their customers have for cloud computing.  I’m not trying to brag, especially since it is obvious that there’s a ton of things “we” still need to figure out in this area; but when I see some of the giants in this community express appreciation of the contribution Intel is making, I can’t help but feel glad that we have done at least some of our homework right!

So what’s a chip company doing that could be remotely interesting to service provides?  Aren’t these the guys whose job it is to abstract all the hardware?  Absolutely!  But service providers are realizing that their solutions are better delivered and their business models are more competitive when they have a deeper understanding of what the underlying hardware is capable of.  For example, many of the customers I work with tell me that they were unaware of the technologies enabled by our platforms to intelligently manage server power consumption, not just at the individual node level, but for the whole of the data center.  My colleagues at our customers are pleasantly surprised to learn how Intel is pushing the boundaries for virtualization deployment and in collaboration with the leading vendors of virtualization software is making the use of this foundational technology more efficient for cloud computing.

There are many more topics I can add to this list, and service providers have a lot of places to go besides Intel for information.  But what I hear often from the customers I work with is that Intel’s ability to be an impartial (vendor neutral) technology advisor is most appreciated.  Of course not everyone is in a position to take advantage of the latest technology, nor does every new technology we enable serve everyone’s purpose.  But if you are a service provider interested in topics on data center optimization whether that be at: the cpu or chipset, the server, the software or the facilities, I’d encourage you to read up on our products and technologies found in this forum, and in other places on our intel.com sites.  And if there is something you need but can’t find, or need more information feel free to drop me note.