*******************************CONTINUED*****************************************
The X-Gene processor is quite a bit different from the ECX-1000 in a number of respects, starting with the fact that it is a 64-bit design from the ground up and is based on the 64-bit ARMv8 specification announced last fall.
"ARM has really done a fine job in implementing an architecture that makes a very fine server part," Singh explained.
The 64-bitness of ARMv8 spec means it has significantly more potential memory addressability than any 32-bit or 40-bit ARMv7 variant currently on the market, and it also means that code written for 64-bit x86 or RISC processors can be more easily ported to this chip. Cramming 64-bit code back into 32 bit memory spaces is not trivial, although there are plenty of webby workloads where a 32-bit operating system and memory space will do the job. But in the long run (meaning next year), 64-bit memory addressing will be the rule for the ARM server chips.
**********************************SNIP******************************