Calxeda
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware, Server systems |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Fate | Restructured after funding exhaustion; intellectual property acquired by Silver Lining Systems |
| Headquarters | Austin , United States |
| Products | ARM-based server processors and systems (EnergyCore ECX-1000, EnergyCard) |
Calxeda, initially known as Smooth-Stone, was an enterprise specializing in server systems built on ARM architecture, operating between 2008 and 2013. The company aimed to deliver lower power usage and enhanced cost efficiency per throughput when compared to traditional x86 servers. Within the many-core server segment, Calxeda's competitors included Intel, AMD, Marvell Technology Group (Armada XP), and Tilera.
History
By March 2011, Calxeda revealed plans for a server featuring 480 cores, composed of 120 quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processors. Later that year, in November 2011, the firm launched the EnergyCore ECX-1000 chip, which contained four 32-bit ARMv7 Cortex-A9 cores operating between 1.1 and 1.4 GHz. Each core had dedicated 32 KB L1 instruction and data caches, alongside a shared 4 MB L2 cache. The chip’s power consumption was approximately 1.5 watts per processor, totaling around 5 watts per server node equipped with 4 GB DDR3 DRAM. Additionally, each chip incorporated five 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces; four such chips were assembled onto one EnergyCard.
UK-based Boston Limited introduced devices powered by Calxeda’s EnergyCore SoCs under the Viridis brand name, with demonstrations held in November 2012. Hewlett-Packard integrated Calxeda processors into its Moonshot server lineup as early as November 2011.
On December 19, 2013, reports indicated that Calxeda was undergoing restructuring following the exhaustion of venture capital funding after unsuccessful negotiations with Hewlett-Packard. Subsequently, in December 2014, Silver Lining Systems (SLS) acquired rights to Calxeda’s intellectual property.
External links
- Archived Calxeda website (via WayBack Machine)
- Silver Lining Systems (SLS), company utilizing Calxeda’s technology
- Articles with short description
- 2008 establishments in Texas
- 2013 disestablishments in Texas
- ARM architecture
- Computer companies established in 2008
- Computer companies established in 2013
- Defunct computer companies of the United States
- Defunct computer hardware companies
- Electronics companies disestablished in 2013
- Electronics companies established in 2008
- Manufacturing companies based in Austin, Texas
- Manycore processors