I was quoted in a couple of different technology articles this week

Custom server sales driven by IT virtualization boom

Todd Swank, vice president of system builder Nor-Tech in Burnsville, Minn., said HPC solutions helped make 2010 a growth year for his company's server line despite an overall flattening of the white-box business over the past few years. Key verticals for custom-built servers include higher education, government agencies, and oil and gas exploration companies, he said.

When it comes to HPC solutions, Swank said energy conservation is "very big," a factor that Nor-Tech has accommodated by sticking closely to the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program.

"Power conservation needs to be on the checklist for anyone selling custom servers," he said.

A key selling point for Nor-Tech's hardware has been the flexibility that customers can get when it comes to configurations. "People still get frustrated dealing with the big guys," Swank said


Read Full Article Here:
http://searchitchannel.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid96_gci1519998,00.html


Intel to Introduce Sandy Bridge at IDF 2010

"There are sure to be some advantages in terms of energy savings, and it's exciting to watch devices becoming more powerful and more portable," said Todd Swank, vice president of marketing at system builder Nor-Tech, Burnsville, Minn.

Some Intel partners see the GPU-CPU integration as a potential disadvantage for system builders. "It's already difficult to compete with less expensive technologies and jobs moving overseas. Unless it provides new opportunities in customization, which it might, more integration is not necessarily a good thing for the channel," said Swank.


But whether system builders like it not, this integration represents the future direction for all chipmakers. On Monday, while Intel is showcasing Sandy Bridge at IDF in San Francisco, rival AMD will be offering a glimpse of its forthcoming integrated chip architecture, code named Zacate.

Intel and AMD often try to take some wind out of each other's product announcements, and we're about to see the next chapter of this battle unfold around the CPU-GPU integration in both companies' chip architectures.

Read Full Article Here:
 
http://www.crn.com/news/components-peripherals/227400191/intel-to-introduce-sandy-bridge-at-idf-2010.htm;jsessionid=jpsErzA7MHBatiVsx-3KAw**.ecappj02