API Introduces UP1100 Ultimate Performance Series Motherboard
API introduced the UP1100, a new member of its Ultimate Performance Series that puts the Alpha 21264 processor on a lower-cost ATX motherboard designed for bandwidth-intensive workstation, cluster and Internet applications.
CONCORD, Mass. — June 1, 2000 — Alpha Processor, Inc. (API) today announced the UP1100 motherboard, a high-performing and cost-effective platform for the Alpha 21264. The UP1100 builds on the design of the popular UP1000 but reduces cost and complexity by integrating the processor and its secondary cache directly on the board rather than on a separate module. The result is a single-processor Alpha platform aimed at system builders who want 64-bit performance and memory bandwidth at a price closer to mainstream workstations. The UP1100 will be sold through API's growing network of resellers and systems vendors.
Designed for cost and bandwidth
The UP1000 proved that Alpha could be packaged in a standard ATX form factor and built into systems using familiar PC components. The UP1100 takes that idea further. Mounting the 21264 and its cache on the motherboard removes the cost of the slot module, connector and associated mechanical parts, shortens signal paths and simplifies system assembly. For integrators building dozens or hundreds of nodes for a cluster, that simplification adds up in both purchase price and build time.
The 21264 itself remains the heart of the design: a four-way superscalar, out-of-order 64-bit processor with a high-bandwidth point-to-point system bus. Its ability to keep many memory operations in flight makes it particularly effective on workloads that stream large amounts of data, such as scientific simulation, signal processing, rendering and network serving.
Key specifications
| Feature | UP1100 |
|---|---|
| Processor | Alpha 21264, mounted on board, speed grades in the several-hundred-MHz range |
| Secondary cache | Onboard backup cache, on the order of 2 MB |
| Core logic | PC-derived chipset adapted to the Alpha system bus |
| Memory | Standard PC100-class SDRAM DIMMs |
| Graphics | AGP slot |
| Expansion | PCI slots, onboard IDE, USB and legacy I/O |
| Form factor | ATX |
| Firmware and OS | Alpha firmware with Linux support |
Exact configurations, memory capacity and speed grades depend on board revision and reseller build; current details are available from API support.
Positioning in the Ultimate Performance Series
The UP1100 joins the UP1000 and the dual-processor UP2000 to give customers a range of Alpha platforms for different budgets and workloads.
- UP1100 — lowest-cost entry to Alpha, single processor soldered on board, ideal for cluster nodes, Linux workstations and dense deployments.
- UP1000 — single processor on a Slot B module with a larger cache option, suited to users who want module-based upgrades and maximum single-CPU performance.
- UP2000 — dual-processor board for servers, heavier multithreaded workloads and higher memory capacity.
Because all three boards run the same Alpha Linux software, applications developed on one can move to another without modification, letting customers match hardware to each job.
Who it is for
API expects the UP1100 to be most attractive in markets where performance per dollar matters more than maximum configuration flexibility.
- Compute clusters. Research institutions building Linux clusters can deploy more Alpha nodes for the same budget, with simpler assembly and fewer parts to fail.
- Technical workstations. Engineers and scientists running floating-point-heavy code gain a 64-bit desktop without the cost of high-end proprietary workstations.
- Internet servers. Web, caching and content delivery servers that are limited by memory and I/O bandwidth benefit from the 21264 system bus.
- Render farms. Rendering nodes, where many identical, compact machines work in parallel.
The UP1100 is about getting Alpha into more hands. It keeps the performance people come to Alpha for and takes out the cost they do not need.
An API product manager
Building a system around the UP1100
One of the main goals of the UP1100 is to make an Alpha system as straightforward to assemble as a mainstream PC. Integrators start with a standard ATX case and power supply, add commodity SDRAM, a supported AGP graphics card, IDE or SCSI storage and a network card, then install an Alpha Linux distribution. Because the processor and cache are already on the board, there is no module to seat or cooling assembly to fit separately beyond the onboard heatsink and fan, which reduces handling and the risk of damage during assembly.
API supplies validated component lists so resellers know which memory, graphics and storage controllers have been tested. Firmware updates can be applied in the field, allowing integrators to keep systems current as new operating system releases and peripherals arrive. For cluster builders, the board's compact layout and conventional I/O make it well suited to shelf or rack enclosures, where many identical nodes are connected over switched Ethernet or specialized cluster interconnects.
The result is a platform that can move from a single developer workstation to a rack of compute nodes without changing the software environment, the build process or the reseller relationship.
Availability
The UP1100 is being offered to OEMs, integrators and resellers, who will sell boards individually and as part of complete systems. API partners listed in the partner directory are expected to announce UP1100-based products, including Linux workstations and rack-mount cluster nodes. The launch follows the recent formation of API's Internet infrastructure business unit, and the board is expected to serve both the traditional technical market and new Internet-focused customers.
About Alpha Processor, Inc.
Alpha Processor, Inc. (API), headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts, was formed in 1998 by Samsung Electronics and Digital Equipment Corporation to bring the Alpha 64-bit RISC architecture to mainstream markets. API designs, markets and supports Alpha processors, motherboards and platforms for OEMs, integrators and resellers. Through its API NetWorks business unit, the company also develops high-bandwidth server and interconnect products for the Internet infrastructure market.