Ariadne can be run on anything from your desktop computer to IBM mainframes. It can be setup to run on a cluster of webservers, using a single database server or a clustered database system.
Ariadne's uses a unique content repository system, designed to get the most out of your database system. Even the most complex searches can be done with a single search on properly indexed tables. No need even to be able to dream in SQL, Ariadne's query language takes most of the pain out of SQL.
The built-in caching system means that even the more complex functionality of Ariadne won't bring down your server. Images and files are automatically sent with client-side caching enabled (you can override this). Enabling the caching system for an entire site is just a matter of a few mouse-clicks. Even if you need personalized content, the 'private cache' in Ariadne helps to keep the load down.
Ariadne's storage layer is database independent. Out of the box Ariadne has support for MySQL and PostgreSQL. Because of the modular architecture adding support for a new storage system is fairly straightforward.
Ariadne shares the advantages of PHP's 'share nothing' architecture. It is easy to cluster and partition Ariadne installations. A single programming error will not bring down the entire website or application even if you don't use a cluster.