Jumping the gun a little, Apple's Hong Kong online store of the Xserve based on Intel's latest Xeon server chips last week, given a strong indication that new Apple servers were more than a rumour.

The in the US, and UK earlier Tuesday to officially add the new Xserve, which features Intel "Nehalem" Xeon processors and a next generation system architecture.

Apple says the 1U rack-optimised Xserve delivers up to an 89 per cent improvement in performance per watt based on Apple's own test conducted in February.

The Intel Xeon processors run at speeds up to 2.93 GHz, each with an integrated memory controller with three channels of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC memory that delivers up to 2.4 times the memory bandwidth while cutting memory latency up to 40 per cent.

Apple's recently improved green credentials also extend to the Xserve with the addition of high-efficiency power supplies and intelligent thermal management, Xserve delivers a 19 per cent reduction in idle power use. The Xserve also uses PVC-free internal cables and components, which contains no brominated flame retardants.