Gartner reports "mixed results" for the global server market, with Q4 2011 server revenues dropping by -5.4% while shipments increase by 4.5% Y-o-Y. 

The reason? HDD inventory shortages due to the October 2011 Thailand flooding disasters, as many providers were not able to meet demand during the last weeks of 2011. Gartner expects HDD supply issues to continue into Q1 2012.  

However the continues W. European server market showing further drops in Q4 2011 shipments, with a -3.1% decline. Q4 2011 EMEA shipments total 700755 units (a -0.8% Y-o-Y decline) Read more...

IBM researchers are making further advances towards the creation of a quantum computer, making 3 new records in the reduction of errors and retaining of integrity in quantum bits. 

Quantum bits (aka "qubits") are the basic units in quantum computing, storing "1" and "0" (the elemental units in traditional computing" at the same time. IBM is using "supercomputing qubits," a research field using current silicon-making techniques in the hopes to eventually manufacture thousands (or millions) of qubits. Currently the IBM team has managed to improve Read more...

Following Facebook's announcement to build a data centre at the edge of the Arctic Circle in Lulea, Sweden, 10 Swedish regions joining efforts to attract more data centre dollars-- launching a promotion tour around Silicon Valley in the process. 

The "hunt" for IT companies (named the Swedish Data Centre Initiative) willing to move to the Arctic has support from the Swedish government, via the Invest Sweden agency. 

Nordic countries are particularly attractive for data centre locations-- not only for "natural" server cooling, low electricity prices Read more...

Gartner reports Q4 2011 W. Europe PC shipments total 16.3M units-- a -16% Y-o-Y decline-- while total 2011 shipments are also down by -16% from 2010, reaching 58.5M units.

Clearly consumers prefer to spend their money on smartphones and tablets rather than PCs (despite dropping prices) as Q4 2011 represents the 4th consecutive quarter of shipment declines...

Particularly hard hit in Q4 2011 are the PC markets in Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain, with Y-o-Y declines of over -30%. The UK sees the worst Y-o-Y decline in 5 quarters (-19.6%) according to Gartner, while French and German PC shipments drop by -11.8% and -8.2% Y-o-Y.