UK users have welcomed the launch of IBM's Opteron
processor-based eServer 325, which offers businesses the chance to
run 32 and 64-bit applications simultaneously.Pat Flannery, council member of the IBM
Computer Users' Association and president of the Common Europe user
group, was a boost for 64-bit technology.
"There has always been a dearth of true 64-bit
applications. An announcement like this encourages independent
software vendors to develop in 64-bit, which can only be an
advantage to users," Flannery said.
He added that the server was welcome evidence
of IBM's long-term commitment to the eServer family of products.
"It's very good because we see it as reassurance of IBM's continued
investment in the platform," he told Computer Weekly.
Aimed at companies looking to integrate their
e-business infrastructure, the new eServer offers a choice of AMD
Opteron processor models 240, 242 or 246. According to IBM
executives, the server offers a seamless transition for migrating
from 32-to 64-bit server technology.
Last month IBM announced that Japan's National
Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology had ordered
an eServer Linux supercomputer which, when completed, will deliver
more than 11 trillion calculations per second.
The supercomputer, which has a total of 2,636
processors, includes 1,058 eServer 325 systems. Projects undertaken
by the Institute include the search for new materials to be used
for super conductors, and the search for new compounds involved in
curing various malignant diseases.