However, the SM10000-64 is not compatible with Microsoft products outside of virtualized environments. The capability to run Windows Server would be vital, should the company have any ambitions in the small to medium-sized business market.

Additionally, although 64-bit, the Atom N570 can only address 4GB of memory, which could prove a limiting factor in computing environments outside of the high-end load balancing setups envisioned by SeaMicro, such as social networking, gaming, and search.

However, as a demonstration of how low-power server computing can be done, the SM10000-64 is a tour de force. It'll be interesting to see if and how other companies follow in their footsteps.

Keir Thomas has been making known his opinion about computing matters since the last century, and more recently has written several best-selling books. You can learn more about him at . His Twitter feed is .