Microsoft and Industry Usher in New Era of 64-Bit Computing
Microsoft, Intel and Industry Partners Cooperate to Extend the Enterprise Capability Of Windows With Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition
REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) today announced the general availability of Microsoft® Windows® Advanced Server, Limited Edition, Microsoft's first server offering for the 64-bit computing environment based on Intel Corp.'s Itanium processor. This new addition to the Windows server platform represents strong industry support for Itanium-based computing and a commitment to providing customers with a reliable and scalable enterprise-class operating system based on Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition, and the Itanium chipset.
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Computer hardware manufacturers Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM Corp. will begin shipping systems running Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition in the next 30 days; Fujitsu, Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi, NEC Corp. and Unisys Corp. will provide systems running Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition, later this year.
``This is the next logical step in freeing customers from the high cost and complexity of proprietary 64-bit solutions,'' said Cliff Reeves, vice president of the Windows .NET Server Division at Microsoft. ``Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition, is the result of a massive effort undertaken by Microsoft and its industry partners to provide customers with a 64-bit platform that meets their highly demanding technical and enterprise needs.''
``The commercial availability of Windows for Itanium-based systems represents a key milestone in Intel and Microsoft's long-standing collaboration and commitment to delivering world-class hardware and software for the next generation of enterprise computing,'' said Abhi Talwalkar, vice president and assistant general manager, Intel Enterprise Platforms Group. ``Itanium-based servers combined with Microsoft's latest server software offer customers superior performance, greater choice, reliability and investment protection at significantly lower costs than proprietary solutions.''
Enabling Innovative Applications
Software application developers -- including Computer Associates International Inc., IBM, J.D. Edwards & Co., NetIQ, SAP AG, SAS and VERITAS -- are migrating and building more than 300 applications that exploit the robust functionality of the 64-bit Windows platform.
About Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition
Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition, addresses the expanding data needs of business, academic, engineering and scientific organizations. Customers with applications requiring large memory and improved floating point performance will benefit from Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition.
Scenarios for Itanium-based computing include applications that are memory- or computational-intensive, such as the following:
-- Web serving, including large-scale caching, Web hosting and secure
communications
-- Business intelligence, data warehousing and datamarts
-- Complex mechanical design and analysis, such as automotive and
aerospace engineering
-- Scientific applications and research, such as astronomy, and human and
earth sciences
About the Itanium Processor
Targeted at the most demanding enterprise and high-performance computing applications, the Itanium processor is the first in a family of 64-bit products from Intel. Approximately 25 computer manufacturers are expected to offer more than 35 Itanium-based models this year, as hundreds of hardware, software and application vendors provide products that support Itanium-based systems.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
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SOURCE: Microsoft Corp. |
