Muticore Chips and Per Socket Server Licensing
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Eight and 12-core x86 chips lets you increase chip capacity while theoretically reducing the number of sockets. According to Computer World, this could be good news for Microsoft server software customers who have per socket software licensing. Even better is that Microsoft officials say there are no plans to change the per socket pricing approach the company uses.
New muticore x86 chips make per socket software licensing seem like a good deal.
"The arrival of eight and 12-core x86 chips may make per socket software licensing seem like a good deal for Microsoft server software customers. Why? Because the new multicore technology promises to let them increase chip capacity while theoretically reducing the number of sockets.
"At this point, Microsoft doesn't seem particularly worried that its server licensing revenue will melt away as its customers move to the increasingly powerful chips. However, analysts wonder how long that will last as chip makers add more and more cores to each processor.
"Indeed, Microsoft officials say there are no plans to change the per socket pricing approach the company uses, even as AMD promises to start shipping 16-core chips next year."
