Fujitsu teams up with Supermicro on Arm-based server CPU

Liquid cooling on the mind

Fujitsu and server maker Supermicro are jointly working on a platform featuring Fujitsu's upcoming Arm-based high-performance MONAKA processor, as well as liquid cooling systems.

The alliance is notable in two ways: Arm chips are known for running cooler than competitors and require less innovation where heat in concerned, and Fujitsu largely walked away from this type of server two years ago.

Fujitsu revealed in February 2022 that it would cease manufacturing and selling mainframe systems by 2030, and discontinue its Unix server systems by the end of 2029.

A year later, Fujitsu said it would release a successor to its A64FX processor in the form of the new Arm-based datacenter chip called MONAKA by 2027. MONAKA was pitched as an energy-efficient high-performing chip for traditional HPC, in addition to AI and data analytical workloads.

This week, the companies detailed how they "will combine their technical capabilities and world-class global reach to offer a market-leading server portfolio," leaning on Supermicro's "Building Block" approach to server design.

Supermicro's Building Block approach is billed as a modular option, allowing customers to choose system components optimized for their workloads and applications, making the system scalable and cost efficient. Among the customized choices is thermal management – air-conditioned, free air cooled, or liquid cooled.

Fujitsu subsidiary Fsas Technologies "will provide AI platform-based generative AI solutions globally that combine Supermicro's GPU server products and implementation support services for datacenter operators and enterprises."

Fsas was spun out in December of last year to manage Fujitsu's PC, server, and storage business sans mainframe or Unix server.

While liquid cooling for Arm-based systems is not common, it's not unheard of. For example, the Fugaku Supercomputer is based on Fujitsu's Arm-based A64FX processors and includes liquid cooling piping.

The focus on developing liquid-cooled systems suggests a targeted market of machines with higher AI and HPC workloads, a segment that is growing anyway.

"As the use of AI continues to grow, demand for datacenter capacity is rising faster than what can be supplied, and one of the biggest challenges is efficiently meeting growing power consumption requirements," Fujitsu stated. "A key focus will be bringing together Fujitsu and Supermicro expertise to further develop rack-scale liquid cooling solutions." ®