SUSE expands partner programme for 64-bit ARM chips

SUSE has expanded its partner programme to include support for 64-bit ARM server processors. Partners will have available a version of SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 that allows them to develop, test and deliver products to the market using 64-bit ARM chips from vendors including AMD, AppliedMicro and Cavium, along with server manufacturers Dell, E4 Computer Engineering, HP and SoftIron.

This will provide customers with more choice, flexibility and opportunities to save on their technology infrastructure, said SUSE.

“SUSE has always been a leader in porting Linux to other platforms, and this programme brings the same benefits and interaction to the ARM AArch64 ecosystem that our partners providing x86-64, Power and System z solutions already experience,” said Ralf Flaxa, SUSE vice president of engineering.

“SUSE’s ARM partner programme will provide ARM ecosystem partners access to AArch64-supported SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 software and expertise, establishing relationships that will result in supported enterprise solutions on different hardware platforms to meet a variety of customer needs.”

Matt Eastwood, an IDC analyst, said: “Interest in ARM servers is growing, and the first ARM server units are already shipping into market. The technology is seeing early adoption today for specific use cases, and interest is expected to increase going forward. We expect that ARM will also have significant relevance to IoT solutions.”

To simplify partner access, SUSE has also implemented support for ARM and AArch64 into its openSUSE Build Service. This allows the community to build packages against real 64-bit ARM hardware and the SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 binaries, improving time to market and compatibility for AArch64 solutions. End users will benefit, said SUSE, as partners take less time to build, test and release to market products based on 64-bit ARM architectures.

Larry Kelmar, senior director, HP/ARM Alliance, at HP, said: “When it comes to addressing our customers’ compute needs, one size does not fit all and ARM64 technology offers an efficiency advantage for certain workloads, such as web caching, requiring a balance of compute performance with more memory.

“HP’s continued development of the ARM64 ecosystem with SUSE reflects our commitment to provide our customers with the right compute, for the right workloads, at the right economics.”