Semiconductor maker PMC has launched a 12Gbps serial attached storage (SAS) expander card for connecting density-optimized servers.

According to analyst IDC density optimized servers are now the fastest growing models on the worldwide server market, as data centers become much more densely packed.

The Adaptec card can cater for growing data center storage capacities as it provides 36 ports in a PCI Express low-profile form factor.

It has internal connections for up to 24 SAS or SATA drives and eight additional external ports to connect multiple disks on a single RAID controller or Host Bus Adapter.

PMC’s VP of data center and server group Pete Hazen said by cutting the number of server variations the system can improve data center operating efficiency.

“Customers want systems that give the maximum scalability, flexibility and compatibility within their power target,” Hazen said.

“Our new Adaptec expander card is the only solution that meets all of these needs.”

IDC research director for enterprise servers and data centers Jed Scaramella said server density is now the most important design criteria for data center planners.

Anything that is modular, compatible with existing infrastructures and can be expanded upon will be very attractive, said Scaramella.

“Density-optimized servers are increasingly an optimal choice for hyperscale data center environments and will continue to gain share of server deployments and spending,” Scaramella said.

The Adaptec fits in a low-profile MD2 form factor and uses less than 25W. Its connectors are specially designed for dense server environments and its buffering powers allow it to work with existing data center equipment.