Funny, I thought Web 2.0 servers were like any other run of the mill server. But today IBM schooled me in the difference.

During the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, they unveiled System x iDataPlex, a watercooled server platform that runs at room temperature. Even without the watercooling option, it still runs 20 percent cooler than conventional "white box" servers, according to the company.

Kenneth Corbin over at InternetNews reports:

The iDataPlex is IBM's first significant foray into servers marketed specifically for Internet companies whose businesses are built around online advertising, rich-media content and data-intensive applications.

...But IBM claims that existing Web 2.0 server offerings are little more than souped-up "white boxes," a term that reflects everyday workstations with few special features. IBM claims that iDataPlex servers can boost computing power by a factor of five, while cutting energy costs by as much as 40 percent. Meantime, the form factor of the design enables twice as many servers to run on a rack. With traditional servers measuring around 30 inches in length, iDataPlex servers measure just 15 inches, an IBM spokeswoman told InternetNews.com.

On the penny-pinching front, iDataPlex "uses all industry standard components as well as open source software such as Linux to help lower costs." Some of that open source software includes xCat.

Sadly, no word on pricing yet. But the machines should start rolling out in June in North America.

For a YouTube video from IBM that explains the platform's green cred, click continue...