VMware CEO Rejects ARM Processors for Now By Wolfgang Gruener September 6, 2012 11:36 AM Tags : Servers Processors Virtualization Data Center Style Power Handheld Device Phones Cloud Computing Certification Tom's Hardware X 86 Video Intel Vmware Data Center Convergence ARM processors for servers do not get an endorsement from VMware yet. According to the virtualization power house, ARM's architecture will not be ready anytime soon to compete with x86 processors. The company's soon-to-be-retired CEO, Paul Maritz, said that his company already built ARM servers running virtual machines, but his impression apparently was that the microserver processors are not quite ready yet. According to Wired, the executive said that the "capabilities [of ARM chips] still have a long way to go before they can match what you get from an x86 processor" and added that there "is a fundamental difference between a [handheld] device and the data center." According to the article, Maritz' main concern was that ARM processors are designed to save power and turn themselves off, when they are not needed. Data centers, on the other hand, would have to be always on. Even if Maritz is leaving VMware, the new CEO is unlikely to change the tone: Pat Gelsinger, Intel's former CTO, still has close contact to his former employer and it is no secret that he prefers x86 architecture over ARM. That said, the server world does not only consist of massive data centers and all that ARM needs initially is to carve out a foot for itself to establish stable ground. That task may take several years by itself. Wolfgang Gruener is a contributor to Tom's IT Pro. He is currently principal analyst at Ndicio Research, a market analysis firm that focuses on cloud computing and disruptive technologies, and maintains the conceivablytech.com blog. An 18-year veteran in IT journalism and market research, he previously published TG Daily and was managing editor of Tom's Hardware news, which he grew from a link collection in the early 2000s into one of the most comprehensive and trusted technology news sources. See here for all of Wolfgang's Tom's IT Pro articles. VIDEO: Move Ahead With Server Virtualization CertificationVIDEO: Why Virtualize?VIDEO: What's a Virtual Phone? VIDEO: Data Center Convergence Comment on this article ... Comment(s)| Comments