Server Manufacturing Levels Defined
Discover the 12 levels of server manufacturing and how AMAX bridges the gap between systems integrators and manufacturers to deliver turnkey solutions tailored
Server Manufacturing Levels Defined
AMAX Technical Blog
Contents
Overview
At AMAX, we sometimes get asked whether we are a systems integrator or a manufacturer of server technology. In fact, there is a bit of confusion within the industry in general as to what the differences and distinctions are between the two, or where one begins and one ends. A widely held belief is that a manufacturer is specifically an ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) like Quanta or Supermicro who both design and mass-produce server platforms including the motherboards and chassis enclosures, while systems integrators are value-added resellers (VARs) who simply assemble ODM platforms into servers.
While the previous definition can be true in some respects, it really depends on a specific company’s manufacturing capabilities, particularly what level of server manufacturing a company is capable of from a pre-existing glossary of manufacturing levels. Here is the breakdown:
Manufacturing Levels
AMAX provides complete manufacturing capabilities from component-level production to fully integrated AI infrastructure solutions, supporting Level 1 through Level 12 manufacturing.
Scope: Includes non-painted parts and molding parts on the component level.
Details: Production of individual components and raw materials used in further assembly processes.
Scope: Some level of assembly of manufactured parts.
Details: Combining smaller components into subassemblies.
Scope: Metals and plastics integrated together and shipped as chassis.
Details: Creation of server enclosure structures.
Scope: Chassis, PSU, cables, and backplanes shipped as a kit.
Details: Preparing integrated hardware kits for assembly.
Scope: Complete enclosure assembly, cable integration, and I/O testing.
Details: Validating chassis functionality before motherboard integration.
Scope: Integration of motherboard into chassis enclosure and power-on test.
Details: Installing the motherboard into the chassis and conducting initial power-on tests.
Scope: Integration and testing of add-on cards.
Details: Installing GPU, networking, and expansion cards.
Scope: Storage integration and testing.
Details: Installing and validating server storage devices.
Scope: CPU and memory installation with validation testing.
Details: Installing processors and DIMMs into server platforms.
Scope: Full assembly of server with full system and component level testing, OS/software integration, product kitted with user manual and other required documentation and delivered as a fully-integrated server solution.
Details: Completing the server assembly, performing comprehensive testing, integrating OS/software, and finalizing the product for delivery.
Scope: Node-level assembly, testing, OS/software loading of all server nodes followed by rack cabinet assembly of nodes into racks with full cable networking (including switches), and tested as a working total solution at the rack or multi-rack level.
Details: Assembling and testing server nodes, loading software, and integrating nodes into racks with full networking setup.
Scope: Rack to multi-rack level manufacturing featured in Level 11 including all networking with full software loading, validation, and optimization.
Details: Extending Level 11 capabilities to include cluster management, cloud OS, and networking software, ensuring a fully operational multi-rack solution.
AMAX’s Rack Integration Services
- Assessing requirements
- Defining specifications
- Scheduling demand
- Assembling nodes
- Setting BIOS and firmware
- Advising server and rack level design
- Developing layouts
- Preparing materials
- Network and power
- Imaging OS and software
Who We Are
AMAX is a Level 6 to Level 12 manufacturer who produces turnkey server-to-rack-level technology platforms for Data Center, Cloud, HPC and Big Data computing that begins with custom architectural and engineering design of server solutions towards specific project/application requirements, to the manufacturing of these solutions in one of our several global ISO:9001, ISO 14:001, ISO 13485 manufacturing facilities, to stringent and often custom test and validation processes with the final solution delivery being anything from turnkey OEM server appliances up to multi-rack clusters consisting of hundreds to thousands of server nodes preloaded and optimized with software.
From that standpoint, while AMAX utilizes an open-architecture manufacturing philosophy that takes advantage of platforms from various ODMs (who provide Level 1 through 5 or 6 manufacturing), we utilize their products as components to further architect solutions up to the software application layer (Level 12) which can include software for a total integrated product (such as the award-winning CloudMax Converged Cloud solution) with infrastructures that include multi-rack integration (Level 11). This allows the delivery of true technology platform solutions of any scale that are architected towards specific customer needs with as little compromise as possible.