Fujitsu pumps Solaris servers with speedy new Sparc

Still waiting on Itanium sales

Fujitsu has added some muscle to its PrimePower server line by outfitting systems with a 2.08GHz version of its Sparc64 V chip.

Fujitsu will include the new chip in five of its PrimePower models, including the 128-processor, big daddy PrimerPower 2500. Previous systems were running on Sparc64s that ranged from 1.35GHz to 1.89GHz. Fujitsu, like Sun Microsystems, makes its own Sparc processor and runs the Solaris operating system on its boxes. The company also sells Xeon-based systems and occasionally moves an Itanium-based server.

Along with the PrimePower 2500, customers will find the speedier Sparc64 V chip in the 1500, 900, 850 and 650 models. The 2500, 1500 and 900 boxes sit at the high-end of the PrimePower line, while the 650 and 850 systems are midrange, rackmount systems that hold between 2 and 16 processors.

In the coming years, Fujitsu and Sun will standardize on the Sparc64 chip and produce midrange and high-end Solaris servers together. The companies hope to share chip development and system production costs. Sun, which cancelled production of its UltraSparc V chip, will still make its own versions of Sparc for lower-end systems aimed at web and application serving.

Fujitsu last month announced new Itanium-based PrimeQuest systems that will start shipping in June. The company moved 2 Itanium servers in 2003 and 233 Itanium-based servers in 2004, according to Gartner. It's hard to imagine those 235 boxes covered the cost of Fujitsu's Itanium marketing material.®

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