The 17 Intel enterprise-class processors can automatically adjust to specified energy usage levels and speed up data centre transactions and customer database queries.

Energy consumption by the IT set-up in companies is one area of serious concern these days. Intel Corporation has introduced 17 enterprise-class processors, led by the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series (previously codenamed Nehalem-EP) that boast of automatically adjusting to specified energy usage levels and hence speed up data centre transactions. They are supposed to be Intel's most revolutionary server processors since addressing the market with the Intel Pentium Pro processor almost 15 years ago.

According to the company, the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series offers several technologies that improve system speed and versatility. Technologies such as Intel Turbo Boost Technology, Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, integrated power gates and Next-Generation Intel Virtualisation Technology (VT), allow the system to adapt to a broad range of workloads.

Equipped with triple the memory bandwidth of previous server processors, Intel Xeon processor 5500 series-based platforms manage a variety of workloads and conditions. The series also offers automated energy efficiency enhancements, providing users with greater control of their energy expenditures. This includes a processor idle power level of only 10 watts, enabling a 50 per cent reduction in system idle power compared to the previous generation. It also promises to take intelligent power to a new level with up to 15 automated operating states. These create improvements in chip power management by adjusting system power consumption based on real-time throughput and without sacrificing performance.