I AM A FREELANCE ARCHITECT REPRESENTING STEX, AND I DONT HAVE PERMANENT JOB/EMPOYMENT, WITH ANY FIRM - BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP ME FROM WORKING OUT A LOT OF INDUSTRIAL STUFF ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE TECHNIQUE I USE IS CALLED [ ROLE PLAYING ] ! ROLE PLAYING: TO BE A CEO / A TECHNOLOGY ENGINEER / A SALES PROFESIONAL / A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER. ROLE PLAYING GIVES ME THE MOTIVATION TO LEARN //EXPLORE // QUESTION //THINK & // DREAM. FOR EXAMPLE : I COULD ROLE PLAY TO BE A tECHNOLOGY ARCHITECT AT IBM and wonder/dream of a lot of Things. LET ME DREAM ABOUT A FEW TECH COMPANIES LIKE IBM AND SEE IF I CAN GET IN SOME VALUABLE IDEAS TO THE DRAWING BOARD ! IBM : AS A Technology Architect and CTO -------------------------------------------------- 1] we Love the Blue gene Q Systems - Keep Wondering if a SMALL PC/ LAPTOP COULD be built with a Blue gene Q Chipset ?. Sub contract this to DELL/HP//ASUS//LENOVO...FOR MANUFACTURING ETC. BLUE GENE Q Runs a proprietary kernel and Linux. To bring in WIndows or OTHER USERS : install a LINUX OS/WITH A HYPERVISOR AND A WINDOWS VIRTUAL IMAGE as a guest. POWER PC A2 has 18 cores, and performance shouldn't be an issue, assuming 1 core is used by the hypervisor. [ Packaging it completely for, a "ready to use system" is important ]. Finally: the form factors for PC's many : A nEW FORM BEING THE BRICK/MINI PC BRICK. Therefore PC packaging may not be an issue. Additionally power PC A2 FREQENCIES are low therefore system heat dissipation may not be an issue either. One LAST FINAL thought: THE POWER PC A2 Blue gene Q can be built & sold as a single server HIGH DENSITY unit, rather than an entire rack. This would create a new SERVER market of it's own. As discussed [ linux + hypervisor ] could be used to sell it to windows platform datacenters or power pc datacenters. BLUE GENE Q SERVER CONFIGURATION --------------------------------- 1 UNIT OF BLUE GENE MOTHERBOARD "HOLDS" 32 COMPUTE NODES. EACH COMPUTE NODE ACCOMODATES 1 POWER PC A2 CPU AND 16 GB MEMORY. THEREFORE 1 COMPUTE NODE = 1 PROCESSORS x 18 cores X [ 16 GB MEMORY ] 1 BLUEGENE MOTHERBOARD ACCOMODATES 32 COMPUTE NODES, THEREFORE [ 32 CPU X 18 CORES ] & [ 16 GB X 32 COMPUTE NODES = 512 GB MEMORY ] THEREFORE 1 [ "HIGH DENSITY" ] RACK UNIT - MOTHERBOARD CONTAINS : ------------------------------------------------------------- 32 CPUS X 18 CORES = 576 CPU CORES 32 NODES X 16 GB = 512 GB // 0.512 TB MEMORY LINUX + HYPERVISOR + AIX//WINDOWS//SOLARIS IS THE SOFTWARE THAT CAN BE LOADED ON ONE SYSTEM STORAGE/HARDDISKS - AS REQUIRED. SMALL WORKSTATIONS/ LAPTOPS / BRICKS CAN HAVE THE CONFIGURATION AS FOLLOWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 POWER PC A2 CHIP 1 MOTHERBOARD [ 8 - 16 ] GB RAM ON Motherboard 64 GB SSD STORAGE LINUX + HYPERVISOR + AIX//WINDOWS//SOLARIS IS THE SOFTWARE THAT CAN BE LOADED ON ONE SYSTEM COMMERCIAL MATHEMATICS: MARKET POTENTIAL -------------------------------------------- SERVER MARKET SIZE ( CONSERVATIVE ) = 2000 DATACENTERS X 10 UNITS per Datacenter = 20000 UNITS X [ 200K USD $ - 500K USD $ ] EACH = [ 5 - 10 ] BILLION USD $. DESKTOP/ WORKSTATION / LAPTOP MARKET SIZE ( CONSERVATIVE ) = 100 Milllion Users Population x 450 USD per machine = 45 BILLION USD $. LETS DREAM : 1 BILLION INDIVIDUAL WORKSTATION Users x 450 USD PER MACHINE = 450 BILLION USD $ MARKET. Conservative 10 Million users population x 450 USD = 4.5 BILLION USD $ MARKET. MANUFACTURING COST BREAKDOWN ----------------------------- Now, how did we arrive at the BLUE GENE Q UNIT COST ? SERVER MANUFACTURING COSTS ------------------------------ 1 MOTHERBOARD : 20000 USD 32 CPU : 1000 USD PER CPU = 32000 USD [ CPU Mfg COST COULD 250 USD $ IF MANUFACTURED AT SCALE ] 512 GB MEMORY : 40 USD PER GB = 20000 USD [ ACTUAL RAM COST IN THEMARKET TODAY IS ROUGHLY 7.5 USD $ PER GB ] SOFTWARE : 5000 USD storage : flexible [ 60 USD $ PER TERABYTE ] - ROUGHLY 6000 USD FOR A 100 TB SYSTEM Accesories : free ----------------------------------------------- SERVER MFG Cost: 77000 USD Per Rack unit. [ Note: Manufacturing costs can be lower if done at scale - IT COULD BE AT 50K USD ALSO ] SALE PRICE : 200000 USD per unit. PROFIT MARGIN: ROUGHLY 125000 USD PER UNIT IF MFG COST IS 75000 USD. PROFIT MARGIN is 150K USD IF MFG COST = 50K USD. DESKTOP UNIT MFG COST BREAKDOWN : ---------------------------------- CPU : [ 175 - 250 ] USD $ MEMORY 8 GB : 50 USD $ MOTHERBBOARD : 50 USD $ STORAGE : 64 GB SSD : 25 USD $ ---------------------------------- TOTAL DESKTOP MFG COST = 300/375 USD $ PER UNIT [ KEYBOARD / MONITOR EXTRA ] SALE PRICE : 400 TO 450 USD / PER MACHINE PROFIT MARGIN PER MACHINE : 100 - 175 USD $ NOTE: CPU COSTS VARY DEPENDING ON MANUFACTURING SCALE. FINAL NOTE : PLZ NOTE ALL COSTS DEPICTED ARE APROX MANUFACTURING COSTS - AT SCALE DATACENTER MATHS [ COMMERCIALS ] -------------------------------------------- LETS ASSUME A DATACENTER BUYS A BLUE GENE SERVER UNIT FOR 200000 USD and creates a VPS and allows 32 users per vps : 1 CPU X 18 CORES per individual + 16 GB RAM Monthly COST per user = 175 USD $. 175 USD X 32 USERS = 5600 USD Earnings per month. This Equals: 67200 USD Per year. BREAK EVEN TIME PERIOD : 2.9 YEARS 2.9 YEARS X 67200 USD = APPROX 200000 USD $ MACHINE LIFE CYCLE: 5 - 8 YEARS A DEDICATED SERVER can also be sold at 50K to 100K USD per year to a single large customer, Instead of 32 small customers. 2] The DEEP BLUE AI CHESS system : Whether we could operate it as a WEB Based Gaming service - For chess enthusiasts?. 3] Same with WATSON QUIZZING : Whether we could operate IBM WATSON as a WEB Based quiz and Contests service - For THE PUBLIC ?. [ THEME: CHALLENGE WATSON ] 4] We have the IBM 775 Super computer [ A DATACENTER IN A RACK ] - Could we sell a few of those AIX machines to google ? Google has Large datacenter ambitions/investments and if IBM 775 could place an Entire datacenter in one machine, they consume less space and Electrical power ! AS FOR THE TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM : UNIX AIX AND LINUX ARE similar too ! FOR E.G. Google spends 300+ Million USD for building a datacenter. A POWER 775 SYSTEM will cost roughly - 3.5 to 8 Million $. 50 power 775 systems = 50 x 5 = 250 Million USD $. 5] POWER PROCESSORS ARE faster and larger than many INTEL processors.[ Lets say 3x-4x more processing power ]. Could we offer the power processor at a PRICE RANGE exactly similar to INTEL PROCESSOR'S For Servers and DEKTOPS ? 6] Can we buy out AMD and their CPU GPU technologies with our spare cash ? 7] Buying cloud service companies like SOFT LAYER may get us small clients - but getting clients on board is not new to IBM. WE have a lot of clients otherwise too ! . Instead, could we create a technology services grid and offer Low cost IBM POWER Platform based Services !. 8] Many customers dont want to buy/invest in an EXPENSIVE AIX operating system, by paying upront, while there are LINUX os Versions available for free. Could we market AIX as a membership subscription : EXAMPLE: Download and Use AIX for a ONE TIME MEMBERSHIP FEE: 60 USD $. [ The AIX image may be used by individuals // datacenters ]. Another package could be : [ AIX + DB2 + SOLID DB + HYPERVISOR + IBM POWER LINUX ] @ 100 USD / PER YEAR /PER USER. 9] OUR SERVICES Business Earn revenues from customers by OFFERING THEM technical staff at a Hourly billing rate. ! It's a boring business and hardly motivating. Can we not have an alternative packaged platform as a service ? Example: [ HARDWARE + OS:AIX + Database: DB2 + APPLICATIONS + TECH STAFF ] - OFFERED AS AN industry packaged service for [ Small enterprises // mid sized enterprises //Large Enterprises ]. E.g [ A small portion of the IBM DATACENTER GRID + AIX + DB2 + 4 Developers ] = a Small package offered to startups/Small Business at a Budget of 2000 USD to 5000 USD ] - Packaged for 4 months. If your Establishment grows [ Renew OR Buy Other Service Packages ]. [ This is a way of organically growing the IBM Hardware/software platform under stiff technology Competition. This could be classified as TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCING ]. IBM wouldn't earn much initially, but at a later stage the contracts could be Attractive. 10] IBM has 10000+ International clients AND many SALES Engineers : Can it offer Evangelism/Technology Introductions to it's clients, on behalf of 3rd Party companies [ E.g STEX // STARTUP X // STARTUP Q // ....], and earn some revenues - Engaging our Entire work force. By doing this we learn new technologies and can influence the Industry !. 11] Can we give Factory Visit opportunities to Young and Old alike ? - To study and experience Some of our SERVER / Hardware Manufacturing Facilities ? 12] Can we offer to sponsor good Technology projects ? By offering ENGINEERS OR COMPANIES "INSURED CAPITAL/FINANCE" ? E.g: IBM Offers A Financing of 1M USD Dollars to STEX [ 0.8 M USD for PROJECT Operations and 0.2 M USD as Project Insurance . [ Only for IBM Platform based TECHNOLOGY Projects ] 13] Imbibe a culture of Technolgy Maturity : OPEN TO ACCEPTING OTHER 3RD PARTY TECHNOLOGIES // WORKING OUT CROSS FITMENTS WITH OTHER TECHNOLOGIES FOR EXAMPLE: I WORK FOR STEX and still study IBM / MICROSOFT / GOOGLE / ORACLE technologies to improve STEX Work culture. [ There is some learning and maturity involved in this process AND IT'S WISE To remember STEX doesn't do everything / it does only some types of work, owing to it's function, that of a design bureau. Some times second or third Opinions matter too ! ]. 14] ..... Similar lines of Thinking for Oracle Corporation ! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOURAV/STEX FREELANCE : Enterprise Architect/Systems Architect. STEX www.stexinternational.com EMAIL: SOURAV.STEX@YAHOO.COM EMAIL2: COMMERCIAL@STEXINTERNATIONAL.COM PHONE: +919586242067