PRESS RELEASE
Supports mobile massive multiplayer online game on a bus for thousands of gamers
SUNNYVALE, Calif. ─ Mar. 4, 2013 ─ AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that Red 5 Studios, developer of free-to-play online games designed to connect millions of players around the world, has deployed an AMD SeaMicro server with the SeaMicro FreedomTM fabric to power a high-performance mobile gaming unit (MGU.) The MGU, which is a 48-foot bus, was created as part of the launch for its new game "FireFall," an award-winning sci-fi massively multiplayer online (MMO) shooter. The result is a mobile vehicle that can support up to 3,000 simultaneous players in one location and connect gamers from any location to millions of others around the world.
Red 5 Studios selected the revolutionary SeaMicro SM10000-XETM server for its high-performance system, power efficiency and a compact form factor to accommodate the space and power constraints of the MGU. When evaluating other vendors, they found that power efficiency and a small footprint came at the sacrifice of other critical capabilities such as high computing performance and high low-latency bandwidth. AMD's SeaMicro SM10000-XE delivered the required performance without sacrifice.
AMD's SeaMicro SM10000-XE server contains 256 CPU cores and the 1.28 terabits per-second FreedomTM fabric, which removes the constraints of traditional servers while delivering up to 50 percent reduction in power consumption. It is the industry's highest density, most energy-efficient x86 server. By integrating switching functionality, it removes the need for top of rack switches, terminal servers and hundreds of networking devices and cables simplifying installation, management and maintenance.
"The mobile gaming unit would not have been possible without AMD's SeaMicro server. It allowed us to install a data centre into a closet on a bus, yet achieve performance equal to one of ‘World of Warcraft's' original data centres," said Mark Kern, CEO/CCO, Red 5 Studios. "We strive to create an unmatched experience where people can lose themselves in a new reality. We found AMD's SeaMicro technology to be far ahead of the competition with a combination of high performance, low energy use, scalable storage and small footprint. The new server brings us much closer to achieving our vision."
Red 5 Studios did not have to change, rewrite or optimise its code for a new, unproven server platform. The performance and familiarity of AMD's SeaMicro x86 servers allowed its team to focus on creating an experience that was worthy of the company's vision rather than having to constantly tweak and optimize its code so that it would work well. The gaming application is built using kernel-based virtual machine (KVM) technology. It is delivered and managed using OpenStack.
"The MGU allows Red 5 Studios to bring its ‘FireFall' game experience to fans around the country. It could not have been achieved without AMD's SeaMicro technology, which provides the highest density, most energy efficient servers on the market," said Andrew Feldman, corporate vice president and general manager, Data Centre Server Solutions, AMD. "Power and space requirements exist in every industry. With an AMD SeaMicro server, Red 5 Studios was able to shrink what would normally take many racks of compute into a suitcase-size container that could easily be transported. We're excited to help Red 5 Studios redefine the gaming experience and create a mobile gaming centre on demand for its fans."
Red 5 Studios is an online game developer located in California, founded by Mark Kern, former team lead for "World of Warcraft." Red 5 Studios is dedicated to bringing together millions of gamers across the world by creating immersive worlds, intriguing stories and compelling characters. It believes that online games and persistent worlds are the future of video games. For more information, please visit www.red5studios.com.
More information on AMD's SeaMicro technology is available at www.seamicro.com.
About AMD
AMD (NYSE: AMD) is a semiconductor design innovator leading the next era of vivid digital experiences with its ground-breaking AMD Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) that power a wide range of computing devices. AMD's server computing products are focused on driving industry-leading cloud computing and virtualization environments. AMD's superior graphics technologies are found in a variety of solutions ranging from game consoles, PCs to supercomputers. For more information, visit www.amd.com.
