Russian Arm SoC now shipping in Russian PCs running Russian Linux
- Reference: 1628575204
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/08/10/baikall_iru_arm_pcs/
- Source link:
Baikal designs SoCs that employ Arm and MIPS technology. On the latter architecture, it offers the twin-core [1]Baikal-T that it says is the "first silicon implementation of the MIPS P5600 CPU core with a wide range of high-speed interfaces".
The model-T is said to be ideal for storage, industrial automation, communications devices, and desktops.
[2]
However, it's Baikal's model-M that got the nod from IRU. The [3]SoC uses eight Arm Cortex-A57 cores that run at up to 1.5GHz, an eight-core Mali-T628 GPU, dual-channel DDR3/4 support, 4MB L2 cache and 8MB L3 cache, PCIe 3, USB 3.0 and 2.0, and four Ethernet controllers – two at 10GB and the others at 1GB.
[4]
[5]
By way of comparison, the A57 is a predecessor of the A72, which is found in the quad-core Broadcom BCM2711 SoC used in the Raspberry Pi 4. The A72 uses rather less power and is speedier than the A57. Those changes make the Pi 4 a decent all-day desktop, but hardly a high-performance screamer. Indeed, the BCM2711 fares poorly in comparison with Intel's Core i3 silicon.
[6]
The IRU Opal and Agat PCs. Click to enlarge
Curiously, IRU's web site is devoid of information about the new workstations. Baikal [7]states that IRU offers its silicon inside a micro tower and small form factor device.
Whatever form factor you fancy, the workstations offer up to 32GB of RAM and storage options ranging from one to three terabytes.
The devices run [8]Astra Linux , a distribution designed to be secure enough for use by Russian government and military users, in accordance with a 2010 decree requiring use of open products. Baikal said all software installed on the machines is approved by Russia's Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications and Ministry of Industry and Trade. The company also suggests one of the two models, named "Agat", as offering everything a civil servant needs to get through their day.
[9]
Another model – "Opal" – is suggested for general use.
[10]Russia's Elbrus has a RISC-V competitor as Yadro prepares native chips for launch
[11]International Space Station actually spun one-and-a-half times by errant Russian module's thrusters
[12]Here's 30 servers Russian intelligence uses to fling malware at the West, beams RiskIQ
Neither Baikal nor IRU has been kind enough to name a price for the Arm-powered hardware. And as we mentioned above, IRU hasn't bothered to mention them, never mind offer them for sale.
Such gripes aside, the machines reflect Russia's [13]desire to be less dependent on technology sourced from its antagonists in the West. The new workstations' modest specs suggest that ambition comes at a price on the desktop. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.baikalelectronics.com/products/168/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YRJOW6NPwYYeeG8pI@NhkwAAAJE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.baikalelectronics.com/products/338/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YRJOW6NPwYYeeG8pI@NhkwAAAJE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YRJOW6NPwYYeeG8pI@NhkwAAAJE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/08/10/supplied_baikal_iru_arm_pcs.jpg
[7] https://www.baikalelectronics.ru/about/press-center/news/1228/
[8] https://astralinux.ru/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YRJOW6NPwYYeeG8pI@NhkwAAAJE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/15/yadro_riscv/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/03/iss_thruster_spin/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/30/riskiq_reveals_30_svr_apt29_c2_servers/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2017/12/01/russia_own_internet/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: ambition comes at a price on the desktop
Workers don’t need decent computers? Well a lot of office workers need Teams and that is a right processor hog when you start videoconferencing.
Re: ambition comes at a price on the desktop
Do you expect the Russians to be using Teams? Really?
Perhaps they have some better software that does not such as badly as MS Teams. That is quite a low bar for sucking actually...
Re: ambition comes at a price on the desktop
Sorry I was not referring to Russian workers in particular. Just responding the the comment which seemed to be about office workers in general.
Re: ambition comes at a price on the desktop
They are using RedStar Comrades.
Re: ambition comes at a price on the desktop
I'm typing this on a Raspberry Pi 4, which is one of my daily drivers in this strange COVID/BYOD world -- and is probably comparable to the Russian offering (Linux, quad-core ARM64, 8G memory.) The other is a HP Elitebook provided by the client and running the inevitable Windows 10.
I use Teams on both -- one as native and the other as the web version on Chromium.
I can confirm that both experiences are equally unsatisfactory. The only real difference is that the RPi has an external webcam which can be positioned without tilting the screen.
Re: ambition comes at a price on the desktop
Teams (and videoconferencing in general) is hardly a requirement for most office duties (after all people managed quite well without it up to the early 2000's).
Some managerial types might find videoconferencing to be a large benefit - but for most office users email and telephone suffice. Look at a large civil service office - how many of them need to use conferencing facilities beyond email CC for their daily job.
Re: ambition comes at a price on the desktop
You know homeworking is quite a thing these days, right? Without videoconferencing I’d barely see most of my colleagues. And every time my laptop turns into a hairdryer…
Re: ambition comes at a price on the desktop
What makes you think that you need extraordinary powerful CPUs for video conferencing?
Re: ambition comes at a price on the desktop
"I’d barely see most of my colleagues"
You say that as if it's a bad thing.
Interesting question ...
"How much work can you do with eight Arm Cortex-A57 cores?"
Depends. Are you trying to emulate a Система Малых ЭВМ to run code lifted from DEC 40-odd years ago? Or are you more modern and up to date, running pirated copies of Windows 3.1?
Re: Interesting question ...
Upvoted more for comedy effort than anything else, I am not sure Teams runs that well on Windows 3.1...
Re: Interesting question ...
Congratulations, Comrade. You have no need for humo(u)r transplant.
Re: Interesting question ...
In Russia, Teams runs you...
The Model T from Bailkal
You can have any colour, so long as it's red
Re: The Model T from Bailkal
And is the model M heavy and very clicky?
Re: The Model T from Bailkal
Gawd/ess, I hope so!
Approved by Russia's Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications and Ministry of Industry and Trade, so spyware guaranteed to be installed and hidden away.
How marvellously different from PCs in so many other countries!
"spyware guaranteed to be installed and hidden away."
Like Cisco et al, then?
Well done
Its not trivial to open up a new processor line, os for it and make it usable. If its equivalent to a pi or better, then great.
The use of FOSS in the workplace is laudable too - it can be done.
And then think of the generation of people who should support such a thing - agnostic to processors and knowing more about Linux than anyone - and able to scale to the server.
TBH, probably most users could more than get by with a pi equivalent for their basic work tasks - browser and productivity software - and an OS that at least nods at security (Linux) - though - lots of people here want their willy extension of a top end processor, lots of tera Hertz and Bytes and some shiny shiny...
Quintessence
Quintessence of communist thinking - appropriate someone else's work and then get drunk.
How much work can you do with eight Arm Cortex-A57 cores?
In Russia, you do work for cores!
"the machines reflect Russia's desire to be less dependent on technology sourced from its antagonists in the West."
It make sense for a government to roll their own SOC especially for its own internal use due to the security concerns of buying off the shelf kit made by another country, especially if the country you are buying from has been outed for spying on its allies never mind less friendly nations.
After all even the US gov orders their Intel kit with the management engine disabled so they obviously worry it could be a security concern.
ambition comes at a price on the desktop
Ambition has always come at a price. But one has to ask whether the latest fastest shiniest hardware is a requisite for the majority of devices to be sat under/on office worker's desks. It seems to me that in most cases office workers' (and home users') requirements are for something that runs an office suite, a browser, and if you're really radical, perhaps an email client. A machine which would make a gamer happy would be out of place in such a use case - there's a reason why you don't see people popping down to the shops in a Ferrari.