ScaleMP has an exciting announcement at IDF today, but before we get into it, I need to do some explaining. Most IT specialists know how to employ virtualization to run multiple virtual environments within the same server, but what happens when you want to go the other way around?

You might not have known it, but virtualization can go both ways. ScaleMP make such a solution, and it enables some amazing combinations of hardware all thrown at a single virtualized machine. Imagine what could be done with a system containing 32,768 CPUs and 2048TB (2PB) of RAM. Such a demand is actually more common than you might think:

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List of companies / applications of ScaleMP.

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ScaleMP's tech can fit into a bunch of different usage scenarios. You can choose to share memory, CPU cores, IO, or all three across multiple physical machines, all combined into a single beast of a virtualized OS, but with the launch of 3D XPoint there's one more thing that might come in handy as a sharable resource, as there is a fairly wide latency gap between NAND and RAM:

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Alright, now that we've explained the cool technology and the gap to be filled, onto the news of the day, which is that ScaleMP has announced that their Software Defined Memory tech has been optimized for Intel Optane SSDs. This means that ScaleMP / Optane customers will be able to combine banks of XPoint installed across multiple systems all into a single VM. Another key to this announcement is that due to the way ScaleMP virtualizes the hardware, the currently developing storage-class (NVMe) XPoint/Optane solutions can be mounted as if they were system memory, which should prove to be a nice stopgap until we see second generation 3D XPoint in DIMM form.

More to follow from IDF 2016. ScaleMP's press blast appears after the break.

ScaleMP’s Software-Defined Memory for NVMe and Intel® Optane™ Technology to be Presented at Intel Developer Forum

FORT LEE, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– ScaleMP™, a leader in high-end virtualization software, today announces that its software-defined memory (SDM) has been optimized for Intel® Optane™ solid state drives (SSDs) and will be demonstrated at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF).  This memory targets enterprise clients in need of larger system memory.

The memory drive demonstration will show how clients can use Intel® SSDs as system memory for transparently replacing or expanding DRAM for memory-intensive applications.

“By using Intel technology, we are able to deliver industry-leading, high-end solutions for memory-intensive applications, such as in-memory databases and cloud and high-performance computing applications,” says Shai Fultheim, CEO and founder of ScaleMP. “It is lowering the acquisition cost and enabling larger system scales for enterprise IT departments. Early SDM-S deployments using the Intel® Xeon® processor already hold as much as 24 TB of system memory, and run huge in-memory databases. Our customers leverage the cost benefits of NVM over DRAM and make decisions in real-time without changes to their software stacks.”

ScaleMP’s software-defined memory technology enables the use of DRAM placed in fabric-connected systems or the use of storage class memory (such as NVMe), as system memory – transparently (respectively, SDM-F and SDM-S). As a result, more data can be analyzed in real time, leading to more insights and faster decision making.

 “Software Defined Memory technology solutions will allow Intel® Optane™ SSDs to be immediately and transparently useable as main system memory”, said Bill Leszinske, vice president Strategic Planning, Marketing & Business Development of Intel’s Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. “By working closely with the ecosystem, such as our efforts with ScaleMP, these leading edge advancements in computer architecture will drive innovation for Intel’s customers.”

This technology enables the creation of very high memory systems based on the Intel® SSD DC P3700 Series and future Intel® Optane™ SSDs.

About vSMP Foundation

vSMP Foundation™ aggregates multiple, industry-standard, off-the-shelf x86 servers into a single virtual high-end system. vSMP Foundation provides customers with an alternative to traditional, expensive, symmetrical multiprocessing (SMP) systems, and it also offers simplified clustering infrastructure with a single operating system. It supports aggregation of as many as 128 servers into a single virtual SMP system and also enables the transparent use of NVM storage as system memory, providing customers with:

  • Expanded system memory – to as much as 2 PB of shared memory for large-memory requirements – by using DRAM from other servers or by using enterprise-grade non-volatile memory
  • As many as a 32,768 CPUs on a virtual SMP with proven scalability and record-breaking memory bandwidth
  • Ease of use and lowest total cost of ownership for clusters coupled with simplified storage architecture
  • On-demand SMP with support for many common provisioning systems to enable increased data center utilization with a consolidated architecture

For more information on vSMP Foundation, please visit http://www.scalemp.com/products.

About ScaleMP

ScaleMP is the leader in virtualization for high-end computing, providing maximum performance and lower total cost of ownership. The innovative Versatile SMP™ (vSMP) architecture aggregates multiple independent systems into a single virtual system, delivering an industry-standard, high-end symmetric multiprocessing computer. Using software to replace custom hardware and components, ScaleMP offers a new, revolutionary computing paradigm. For more information, please call +1 (201) 429-9740 or visit http://www.ScaleMP.com.

vSMP Foundation is a trademark or registered trademark of ScaleMP. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.

Intel and Optane are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.