Fujitsu and Intel are to develop servers and mainframe systems
based on Intel processors and the open-source Linux operating
system.
Fujitsu plans to launch dual-processor and multiprocessor servers
equipped with Intel's Xeon chips by the end of 2004 and follow up a
year later with a range of larger servers, using as many as 128 of
Intel's high-end Itanium chips, to compete in the mainframe
market.
Intel and Fujitsu will also co-operate in creating a version of
Linux optimised for Fujitsu systems. Fujitsu will establish a Linux
division with more than 300 engineers.
The deal with Intel signals a break in Fujitsu's tradition of
relying heavily on technology from Sun Microsystems. Until now,
Fujitsu's Unix servers have been based largely on Sun's Solaris
operating system and a version of its Sparc (Scalable Processor
Architecture) Risc (reduced instruction set computer) processors
made by Fujitsu.
Sun invented Sparc but later transferred ownership of its
specifications to an independent, non-profit organisation, Sparc
International, which licenses the technology and provides
compliance testing.
The new Linux-based servers will form a "third pillar" in Fujitsu's
high-performance server strategy, joining the company's existing
Primepower servers and GS mainframes.