Cavium's Thunder is First 64-bit ARMv8 Processor supported in Ubuntu Server 13.10

Ubuntu 13.10 includes seamless support for hardware acceleration incorporated in Cavium’s Thunder processors.

San Jose, CA – October 29, 2013 – Cavium, Inc., (NASDAQ: CAVM), a leading provider of 64bit microprocessors for a variety of enterprise, datacenter and service provider infrastructure applications, today announced that Cavium’s Thunder ARMv8 processors are supported in Ubuntu 13.10, the latest release from Canonical.  Ubuntu is a leading operating system for cloud servers and is deployed in major cloud data centers around the world. Ubuntu 13.10’s ARMv8 developer preview will enable developers, cloud operators and the ecosystem to quickly and easily start using, developing and testing for Cavium’s Thunder multicore ARMv8 processors.

Cavium’s Thunder developer platform with Ubuntu Server 13.10 will be available in HP’s Moonshot Discovery Lab to offer developers a head-start on porting, developing and testing on future cloud centric servers. The HP Discovery Lab allows customers and developers to experiment, test and benchmark applications on HP Moonshot within the larger ecosystem of low-energy server innovations and solutions.

Cavium and Canonical will host private demonstrations of the Ubuntu Server 13.10 running on Cavium’s Thunder software development platform at ARM TechCon, October 29 – 31, in Santa Clara, California at the Hyatt Hotel, suite # 1401. Developers and system manufacturers can schedule a meeting at ARM TechCon by sending an email to Lilly.Ly@cavium.com

Cavium’s Project Thunder initiative includes processors along with comprehensive hardware and software solutions. Thunder is a scalable family of 64-bit ARMv8 processors incorporated into a highly differentiated system on chip (SoC) architecture optimized for cloud and datacenter applications. Thunder SoCs processors integrate high-performance compute, networking, security, storage along with targeted workload application acceleration and high-speed industry standard IOs. Thunder processors will provide significantly better price, performance and power value proposition over alternative solutions for target applications in cloud and datacenters.

Ubuntu is a leading operating system for cloud servers, powering a new wave of efficient, ultra-dense hardware. Cavium’s Thunder processors, which are now supported in Ubuntu 13.10, give developers access to the full range of capabilities and applications in Ubuntu. Ubuntu 13.10 fully integrates OpenStack Havana and offers faster node installation. It also includes Juju, Canonical’s automation tool, which makes it easy to build an entire cloud environment with only a few commands. Workloads can be designed, deployed, managed and scaled securely through a simple browser GUI. The Metal as a Service (MAAS) tool enables hyperscale servers to be provisioned through scalable automation.

“A new wave of low-power, ultra-dense system on a chip hardware, like Cavium’s Thunder ARMv8, are re-defining the future of sustainable data centers. Certifying those on Ubuntu, the platform that has been built for scale out workloads, means customers will benefit from high performance, reduced costs and energy savings,” comments Christian Reis, VP Hyperscale at Canonical. “Ubuntu Server 13.10 developer preview on Cavium’s Thunder processors provides the same OS experience as x86 platforms, meaning developers can easily adopt, deploy and migrate to  Thunder based scale out environments for cloud workloads.”

“Ubuntu is widely deployed as the Linux server OS of choice in large cloud and datacenters. Canonical’s support for our Thunder ARMv8 64-bit processor family will enable cloud and datacenter operators to reduce their cost and power consumption. Ubuntu Server 13.10 with built-in support for Thunder’s cloud accelerators will help customers significantly improve application performance and responsiveness for targeted workloads as compared to existing processor solutions” said Amer Haider, VP Corporate and Business Development at Cavium.

Ubuntu 13.10 Server preview for developers on Project Thunder can be downloaded from http://www.cavium.com/processor_Project-Thunder_Ubuntu-Server.html

About Cavium, Inc
Cavium is a leading provider of highly integrated semiconductor products that enable intelligent processing in networking, communications and the digital home. Cavium offers a broad portfolio of integrated, software compatible processors ranging in performance from 100 Mbps to 100 Gbps that enable secure, intelligent functionality in enterprise, data-center, broadband/consumer and access & service provider equipment. Cavium’s processors are supported by ecosystem partners that provide operating systems, tool support, reference designs and other services. Cavium’s principal offices are in San Jose, California with design team locations in California, Massachusetts, India, and China. For more information, please visit: http://www.cavium.com.

About Canonical
Canonical is the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu project and the leading provider of support services for Ubuntu deployments in the enterprise.

Ubuntu is a free, open-source platform for client, server and cloud computing. Since its launch in 2004, it has become a natural choice for users of all kinds, from Fortune 500 companies to hardware makers, content providers, software developers and individual technologists.

With developers, support staff and engineering canters all over the world, Canonical is uniquely positioned to help its partners and enterprise customers make the most of Ubuntu. It also operates Ubuntu One, a cross-platform personal cloud service for consumers.

Canonical is a privately held company.