Google first showed the way on how open source can be ripped apart to suit a specific Web Service [Core Search Services]. They went on to fine tune not just their Software Platform but also tweaked their hardware. Taking a leaf out of this book, Samsung which tasted massive success with Android Mobile Platform is now venturing into Server CPU manufacturing with core being licensed from ARM, rather than the ubiquitous Intel x86 processor architecture.

The advantage of an ARM based server is that it will consume less power and therefore generate less heat needing less cooling. Given the electricity bills of the likes of Google, Amazon and Facebook these days, this is a substantial advantage.

x86 to ARM Porting of Software Tools
All of the software that runs on servers has all been written for the x86 processor and consequently will need to be rewritten for ARM. This is a significant task and one that does not really seem to have been undertaken in earnest. Can Samsung Engineer a Truly World Class Tool / Product that can cross compile all the software to ARM targets ? Possibly, in my opinion.

x86 Vs ARM on Servers - Who will Win ?
Intel’s recent advances in semiconductor manufacturing have closed the power gap on ARM somewhat, making the advantage considerably less and the significant re-write of software less worthwhile. To me it looks unlikely that ARM will make a big impact in this space but for a new comer to the server space it is a logical way to differentiate its offering.