AMD vs. Intel – Which is better for the Data Center?
With ARM still struggling to gain traction in the enterprise data center, which x86 processor platform better suits the data center, AMD or Intel? Each vendor is advertising its strengths. AMD published a processor calculator in which, to no one’s surprise, AMD Epyc processors win in every head-to-head match against Intel 3rd Generation Scalable Processors (Ice Lake). Intel paid us to take a broader look. So, which is “better?” Spoiler: There’s no one size fits all answer.
Suppose you have managed a data center for any time. In that case, you recognize that the speeds and feeds of a processor are only a single component of the decision to select one processor over another.
For many information technology decision-makers, X86 is X86. Which processor is an implementation detail for hardware vendors to focus on. Much of the criteria for selecting a data center platform goes into understanding the operational issues of supporting an ever-growing landscape that includes the Public Cloud, the Private Data Center, and cloud-native workloads across the landscapes.
The amount of processor cache, number of cores, core speed, and addressable memory may indeed matter for a specific application. However, if you have to figure out how to maintain your VMware vSphere control plane while retooling your organization to support workloads designed around the public cloud and cloud-native applications, which processor platform provides the ecosystem to help in that organization-wide journey?
You can look toward the investments both chip manufacturers have made in GPUs, Accelerators, Networking, and security to understand how speeds and feeds are a single component of the decision criteria.
Intel sponsored the CTO Advisor to look at a typical journey to a hybrid infrastructure. In the linked research, we share the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure journey in selecting our next hybrid infrastructure platform.
If you want to consume 35-pages of deep technical analysis, we partnered with Gestalt IT on related research.
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Keith Townsend is a seasoned technology leader and Chief Technology Advisor at Futurum Group, specializing in IT infrastructure, cloud technologies, and AI. With expertise spanning cloud, virtualization, networking, and storage, Keith has been a trusted partner in transforming IT operations across industries, including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, government, software, and financial services.
Keith’s career highlights include leading global initiatives to consolidate multiple data centers, unify disparate IT operations, and modernize mission-critical platforms for “three-letter” federal agencies. His ability to align complex technology solutions with business objectives has made him a sought-after advisor for organizations navigating digital transformation.
A recognized voice in the industry, Keith combines his deep infrastructure knowledge with AI expertise to help enterprises integrate machine learning and AI-driven solutions into their IT strategies. His leadership has extended to designing scalable architectures that support advanced analytics and automation, empowering businesses to unlock new efficiencies and capabilities.
Whether guiding data center modernization, deploying AI solutions, or advising on cloud strategies, Keith brings a unique blend of technical depth and strategic insight to every project.
