Intel Investors - SGI will be bringing another Unix (IRIX) to the Merced
Here is SGI's press release regarding their new directions and Intel relationship. Note that the Intel IA32 (Pentium II/Slot 2) and IA64 (Merced) products are in their future plans.
SGI will be porting their version of UNIX, called IRIX, to the Merced, making it the 3'rd or 4'th version of UNIX to go that route.
Isn't it great that UNIX is such a standard! And everybody has their own UNIX standard!
Paul
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Tuesday April 14, 9:30 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Silicon Graphics Outlines Strategic Direction
Action Plan Includes Strategic Relationship with Intel and New
Technology Roadmap for Dual-Platform Expansion
NEW YORK, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: SGI - news) today announced its strategic business plan aimed at focusing the company's technology resources on delivering its visual computing and high-bandwidth systems expertise to key growth markets. The action plan includes new relationships, reassessment of non-core assets and changes in the company's economic model and business practices to drive execution.
Chairman and CEO Rick Belluzzo rolled out the corporate strategy at a press conference here approximately two months after taking the reins of the company. In addition to the overarching strategy, the Silicon Graphics CEO pointed to the first execution points of the action plan: a technology roadmap for the company's product lines and a strategic relationship with Intel Corporation. The roadmap sets forth the
milestones for incorporating industry-standard technologies into the Silicon Graphics(R) product line. The Intel relationship frames joint work the two companies are undertaking to broaden the reach for both Silicon Graphics products and the Intel(R) Architecture.
''I've spent more than two months talking with employees, customers and partners and the path forward is clear,'' Belluzzo said. ''We must aggressively focus on the markets where our unique strengths in visual computing and high- bandwidth systems add value. This ruthless focus will streamline the priorities of the organization. We are in execution mode.''
As part of executing against this focused strategy, Silicon Graphics also announced its intention to organize its subsidiary, MIPS Technologies, Inc., as an independent, publicly owned business targeting the design and licensing of microprocessors for the
digital consumer and embedded markets. MIPS Technologies, Inc. owns the leading architecture for high-volume consumer appliances including video game machines, set-top boxes and handheld computing devices and was responsible for more than 45 million units shipped in 1997. The development of MIPS(R) microprocessors for the Silicon Graphics platform will continue at Silicon Graphics as part of the Computer
Systems Organization.
A PLAN FOR ACTION
Silicon Graphics' fundamental market focus will be the technical computing marketplace, defined primarily by visual computing on the desktop and technical serving including supercomputing. In addition, the company will leverage a refocused server effort into three additional key growth segments: Strategic Business Analysis,
Web Service and Media Serving. These growing marketplaces will take advantage of Silicon Graphics' high-bandwidth system architectures delivering new standards in throughput and data management capabilities.
Silicon Graphics will focus on and organize its field resources around six key industries -- Communications, Energy, Entertainment, Government, Manufacturing and Science -- that have common requirements in visual computing and processing massive amounts of complex data. According to analyst estimates, this combination of market and
industry priorities addresses a market that currently is sized at $26 billion, growing to more than $40 billion by 2001.
''Our systems are used by people who are trying to understand the future rather than simply account for historical data,'' Belluzzo said. ''This is a unique market position that Silicon Graphics already possesses. Our plan is to develop that position. These markets are growing and we will focus the organization on the needs of these
customers.''
To implement this plan, Silicon Graphics' management will drive toward key milestones to support these business initiatives, including:
* Implementing a competitive financial model across the company, including reduced costs
* Simplifying the organization to drive decision making and accountability * Extending technology leadership through R&D and alliances
* Moving sales and delivery models to line up with target industries
* Establishing comprehensive offerings through professional services
''Silicon Graphics has outlined a strategy that builds on its traditional strengths in technical computing. This strong commitment to its core markets is very good news for Silicon Graphics customers,'' said Tom Copeland, director of workstation research at International Data Corporation. ''By combining Intel processors and Windows NT with its existing IRIX products, Silicon Graphics is responding to its customers'
requirements. The new product strategy -- in conjunction with new business practices -- provides a solid basis for Silicon Graphics' growth.''
INTEL RELATIONSHIP -- DUAL-PLATFORM STRATEGY
The relationship with Intel adds key elements to Silicon Graphics' roadmap, providing broad, cross-platform integration as the computer company moves forward implementing its expertise on both its traditional MIPS-based UNIX(R) systems and future Intel-based workstation and server systems running both UNIX and Microsoft(R)
Windows NT(R). As part of the relationship, Silicon Graphics will:
* Incorporate Intel's IA32(TM) technology into Silicon Graphics
workstation product lines (expected to be introduced in the second half of 1998) and port its established 64-bit IRIX(R) operating system to Intel's Merced(TM)/IA64(TM) platform.
* Engage in joint marketing efforts to establish Silicon Graphics' Intel Architecture/Windows NT workstations in the marketplace. Two of the most influential industry brands will cooperate through marketing and public relations activities in the near future.
''This agreement between Silicon Graphics and Intel taps the best of both companies, marrying Silicon Graphics' core competencies in visual computing with the power and capabilities of the Intel Architecture,'' said Craig Barrett, president and chief operating officer of Intel. ''We'll work closely with Silicon Graphics to help them produce
best-of-class Intel-based systems throughout their product line -- from personal through high-end workstations to servers and supercomputers.''
The Intel relationship complements the December 17, 1997 announcement in which Microsoft Corporation and Silicon Graphics agreed to jointly define, develop and deliver new graphics technologies as part of a project code-named ''Fahrenheit.''
TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP
As part of the strategy announcement, Silicon Graphics also detailed a revised product and technology roadmap, one of the first milestones in the company's refocused efforts.
The roadmap lays out the tactical plans for Silicon Graphics to embrace dual platforms across its product lines.
Graphics-rich Workstations: UNIX platform-based customers of the Onyx2(TM),
OCTANE(TM) and O2(TM) product lines will see processor upgrades and new
graphics subsystems in coming months as Silicon Graphics' traditional product
lines continue to evolve. Later in 1998 the company will deploy its graphics and
media expertise on the ubiquitous Intel Architecture/Windows NT platform. Both
Intel and Silicon Graphics will work further on 64-bit systems as Intel's Merced
processor becomes available in 1999 and Silicon Graphics ports the IRIX
operating system to Merced.
High-bandwidth Servers: Silicon Graphics' CC-NUMA architecture will continue to
provide scalability, high-bandwidth/low-latency data handling, cost effectiveness
and other advanced features over a wide range of price points. The current
product line will continue to see performance upgrades with faster versions of the
MIPS microprocessor. The IRIX platform will continue to be the strategic
operating system for Silicon Graphics servers providing compatibility to 128
processors, true 64-bit addressing, real-time features and the ability to handle
large data sets. By porting the IRIX operating system to Intel's IA64 architecture
debuting in the Merced processor, Silicon Graphics will provide new choices for
customers while maintaining the robust system architectures customers expect
from Silicon Graphics products. Silicon Graphics will offer strong Microsoft
Windows NT/Intel interoperability capabilities that allow its servers to operate
seamlessly with any of the industry's Intel Architecture/Windows NT clients.
Supercomputers: The four current product lines (CRAY(R) Origin2000(TM), CRAY
J90(TM), CRAY T90(TM), CRAY T3E(TM)) will benefit from continued investments
and engineering as they converge over time into two closely related successor
lines, preserving compatibility for current customers. The converged product lines
(scalable vector and highly scalable microprocessor- based systems) will
incorporate Silicon Graphics' next-generation CC-NUMA architecture, scalable
IRIX with Windows NT interoperability and cost- effective CMOS technology
involving the deployment of both custom and Intel processors. A scalable vector
supercluster family due out later this year will evolve into a vector system scaling
to thousands of processors, with unprecedented single-CPU performance.
Concurrently, the Origin(TM) and CRAY T3E products will converge into a
server-to-MPP (massively parallel processing) line, also scaling to thousands of
processors.
SOURCE: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
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SILICON GRAPHICS (NYSE:SGI - news)
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