Fujitsu Pumps Up SPARC64 Chip

The Sunnyvale, Calif., companys SPARC64 V chip has been bumped up to 1.89GHz, from a maximum frequency of 1.35GHz, and now offers 3MB of Level 2 cache rather than the current 2MB.

In addition, the new chip is being built on the 90-nanometer manufacturing process, which improves performance by enabling more transistors in the same space as those chips built via the 130-nm process.

Unix-based PrimePower servers running the enhanced chips will be released starting in the fourth quarter, according to company officials.

The chip upgrade comes less than a month after Fujitsus announcement that it and Sun Microsystems Inc. will merge their SPARC development efforts. Under the partnership, the two companies will create a new family of servers—called the Advanced Product Line, or APL—that eventually will replace Fujitsus PrimePower systems and the Sun Fire line from Sun, of Santa Clara, Calif.

For more on the pairs SPARC efforts, read "Sun, Fujitsu Light a SPARC."

The APL systems are scheduled to debut in 2006.

Sun and Fujitsu officials said the alliance will enable the companies to better compete with the likes of IBM and Hewlett-Packard Co. Sun is aiming to create a line of x86-based systems powered by Advanced Micro Devices Inc.s Opteron processor, and industry observers had questioned whether the company had the resources to do that while continuing development of its SPARC chip.

Next Page: Seeking a larger piece of the server pie.

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