As Advanced Micro Devices Inc. tries to stage a comeback in the data center market, Cisco Systems Inc. today unveiled a powerful new server system that features the chipmaker’s silicon under the hood.

The UCS C4200, as the offering is called, is based on AMD’s Epyc line of central processing units. The series has helped the chipmaker gain new ground against market leader Intel Corp. since its introduction in 2017 and contributed to its strong earnings results last quarter.

Up to eight Epyc processors fit in the C4200. More specifically, it has space for 4 C125 M5 rack server nodes, likewise a new addition to Cisco’s portfolio, that can each pack a pair of 32-core CPUs from the series. Additionally, every machine provides eight DIMM slots per processor that allow companies to add as much as 2 terabytes of memory to a node.

The C4200 packs all this hardware into a 2U chassis. Cisco claimed the system provides up to 128 percent greater processor density than a standard 42U-sized rack of UCS servers. The company also said that makes the C4200 well-suited for compute-intensive workloads such as scientific simulations, financial models and analytics applications.

On top of its performance profile, the system offers all the core benefits that Cisco provides with UCS hardware. Machines in the series combine servers, switching fabric and management software into a single package meant to be easier to operate than traditional infrastructure. Cisco said that administrators can manage the C4200 via the same cloud-based console they use to configure their companies’ other UCS machines.

The system adds the networking giant’s name to the growing list of industry players embracing AMD’s Epyc chips. Previously, Microsoft Corp. and China’s Baidu Inc. teamed up with the chipmaker to make its CPUs available via their respective cloud platforms.

But although Epyc shipments more than doubled year-over-year last quarter, AMD still has a long way to go until it can make a noticeable dent in Intel’s data center market share. The latter company is actively working to maintain its leadership position by developing new, specialized chips optimized for tasks such as artificial intelligence.

Image: Cisco