Compaq Bets Big on Itanium, Alpha Getting Phased Out

Compaq, consolidated its commitment to the Itanium Monday surrender its high-end Alpha microprocessor production to Intel chips and sentenced to phase out in the end of 2004.

"We will strengthen our entire 64-bit server family on the Itanium processor family, and this section will be completed in 2004, said:" Compaq CEO Michael Capellas in a press conference last Monday.

Compaq will be the transfer of resources of all kinds - including microprocessors compiler, A lpha development tools, engineers and even Alpha compiler experts - Intel Corporation in the next few years.

Compaq, and pick up the Alpha in its 1998 acquisition of the Digital Equipment Corporation, proposed to the existing Alpha customers promised to launch its next-generation Alpha Design - e v7-for a period of time in the end of 2002. Compaq also claimed that it will continue to update its Alpha server line, until 2003, and.

Analyst Rob Enderle and Gigabit Information Group forecast, Intel agreement will dampen enthusiasm for the microprocessor between existing and potential customers Alpha.

"When you have a news item that is the case, people will like it a done deal with. I am not sure that Compaq has been four years, with a view, because it will be increasingly difficult to sell what is on the Alpha, "Enderle).

Charles King, and the general infrastructure hardware analysis and analysis of the zona pellucida of the company, do not agree.

"Will bring the next generation of Compaq Alpha server, they are also ready to provide full support in the next three years so that they are seeking to satisfy their customers," he said. "The biggest issue is how part of the value-added and folks, they are an independent software development and application procedures to respond?" Notice also affects users of the Compaq Himalayan chain system - the computer giants "other" high-end platform. Compaq had acquired direct Himalayan technology - a breach of the microprocessor design M IPS permission from MIPS Technologies, Inc. - in its merger of the reliability and availability of specialist Tandem Computer in July 1997. Not surprisingly, Compaq announced its intention to submit its nonstop Himalayan systems to Itanium in 2004 before, as well.

In their efforts to pacify the concerns of existing nonstop Himalayan customers, Compaq committed to the design of the new MIPS architecture NonStop Himalaya system until it can start shipping Itanium-based NonStop Himalaya system, in 2004.

Platform integration As a result of its agreement with Intel, Compaq also will consolidate other operating system platforms - including Alpha-based T ru64U NIX and O penVMS platforms, with the M IPS Concord-based framework Parker went core operating system - Itanium. Computer giant is expected to begin shipping its first Itanium-based ProLiant servers sometime in the 2000 third quarter.

"When we are doing, we will have a single platform for all of our baseline," Capellas should confirm.

According to the King on the zona pellucida, Compaqs latest move is compelling strategic significance. "In the long run, a standardized framework, possibly to save money for customers," said the king.

In this regard, Compaq joined Hewlett-Packard, which announced a consolidation away from the PA - the direction of RISC Itanium, Intel Corporation and to assist in the development of the Itanium. IBM also announced support for a wide range of Itanium processors - which form the so-called "Monterey Project," in conjunction with the Santa Cruz action that aims to establish a specialized processor-based I tanium operating system - and plan to sell its new Itanium AIX 5L operating system.

Many industry observers said they had expected to announce this first time since the Compaq purchase figures.

"Never Compaqs Alpha platform strategy, Compaq, do not buy figure for the Alpha, they bought them more for the organizations they serve," Gigabit Enderle).

The spotlight on solar Compaq, Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced that left as the sole provider of attention seems to be hedging its bets for Itanium support. Sun initially embraced Itanium positive, but after the outbreak of a defamation in 2000 and the beginning of their Intel - which chip maker alleged that the U nix the leader is not truly committed to promoting its flagship product S olaris operating system I tanium-sun of the commitment to Itanium has become even more blurred.

"The story of the sun, and in this regard has changed several times," agreed Dan kusnetzky director of server operating environment with the International Data Corporation, "as a [Itanium] arrival in the market became later, Sun waffled on its plans for Solaris port. Intel, by the way, seem to be quite angry, and made a number of public statements on the Suns lack of commitment. " He said that Fred rehhausser, marketing manager for Sun Solaris platforms and cooperation, and maintained his company has a 32-bit version of Solaris preparations, and migrate to next-generation Intel microprocessors, but that he could not comment on his companys plans for Itanium and 64-bit support.

"Itanium Basically, we achieve our goals, this is an original equipment manufacturer for Itanium will be compatible for Itanium," he said.

Itanium processor is Intels first true 64-bit microprocessor, and optimized 64-bit code. Therefore, it expected competition Solaris running on Sun Sparc hardware ownership in the high-end enterprise computing environment.

If yes, today issued a notice can be a wake-up call to Sun, the Enderle Gigabit speculate), he said that Compaqs Alpha and experience shows that its work is becoming increasingly difficult for enterprises of hardware vendors , a market-based solution to the proprietary hardware - especially when the rest of the industry as a whole is on the convergence of a new (de facto) standard.

"At the end of the day, even if the Alpha products like Capellas, Compaq is not really in the chip business," Enderle). "So, how long can effectively maintain Sun this position, especially when their competitors will be able to regularly beat them on price?" -- Stephen s woyer