Cloud data centers are expected to comprise almost 50 percent of server unit shipments by 2018, according to a new report by Dell’Oro Group. Server unit shipments are expected to continue to grow, albeit at a low single digit CAGR for the 2014-2019 period.
“The increase in the number of connected devices as well as the number of workloads processed by data centers will continue to drive demand for physical servers, although virtualization trends will dampen growth rates,” said Sameh Boujelbene, Director at Dell’Oro Group. “Although server shipments will continue to grow, the deployment location for these servers is definitely changing. Cloud economics—including server prices, resiliency, scalability, and product lifespan—along with enhancements in cloud security are promoting migration of workloads across servers, and are accelerating Cloud adoption,” stated Boujelbene.
The report indicates that high-density servers, based on either Intel’s X86 or ARM processors will drive the majority of growth in unit shipments during the forecast period. The analysis also discusses the various Ethernet network connectivity options for each server form factor for Cloud vs. Enterprise/Premises deployments, and reveals that a minimum of eight port speeds are expected to co-exist for server access over the next five years.
