IBM Expands High Performance Computing Capabilities for Clusters

IBM Introduces Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 for IBM Clusters; Microsoft Deploys IBM System Cluster 1350 for AIDS Research
IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today the availability of Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 for the IBM System Cluster 1350, to help enable more mid-market and enterprise clients -- including those in life sciences, computer-aided engineering (CAE) and financial services -- to take advantage of high-performance cluster computing. IBM also announced today expanded server, storage and networking options for the cluster solution, to help provide unprecedented levels of speed, choice and flexibility for high performance computing environments.


"IBM has successfully enabled clients to leverage clusters for high-end supercomputing work for over six years," said Wendy McGee, director, IBM Cluster Solutions. "Today by combining leading IBM systems and storage along with the familiar computing interface from Microsoft and new networking offerings from Cisco, IBM has extended high performance computing capabilities to a broader client base."

Microsoft Research is using the IBM System Cluster 1350 to aid in HIV vaccine research. To run simulations of how the HIV virus mutates in response to attacks by the immune system, Microsoft researchers required a system that could manage massive amounts of computation with a technology interface that was easy to use. Using Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 (CCS) on the IBM cluster has enabled researchers to achieve at least 100 CPU years of results in less than two years, and run simulations 50 percent faster than before.

"Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 running on the IBM System Cluster 1350 has allowed us to dramatically increase the speed at which we process calculations critical to HIV vaccine research," said David Heckerman, lead researcher of Microsoft Research's Machine Learning and Applied Statistics Group. "We have been able to provide relevant solutions for our client base and leverage the same leading technology solutions for our own efforts to advance AIDS Research."

High performance computing clusters can range from as few as two to thousands of servers woven together to deliver high-speed performance demanded by a broad range of applications. IBM hardware offerings in this space include the IBM System Cluster 1350, an integrated, factory built and tested cluster with networking from leading vendors, as well as System x, System p and BladeCenter servers and IBM System Storage. For customers interested in running Microsoft Windows CCS along with IBM's latest cluster technology, the IBM benchmarking center at the IBM Customer Center in Montpellier, France just added a new program on customer benchmarking around Microsoft-based clusters.

Product Details and Availability

Today IBM updated the System Cluster 1350 to include IBM multi-core processor-based BladeCenter and System x servers, IBM System Storage and networking technologies from Cisco, SMC and Voltaire. The new systems include Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor technology to enhance high performance computing with more capability. The clustered system is also designed to leverage Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), and now supports the SLES10 operating system.

Products available in the new IBM System Cluster 1350 portfolio today include:

IBM BladeCenter and System x servers featuring multi-core and dual-core processors from AMD and Intel, including: BladeCenter HS21-XM, HS21, LS21, LS41; and System x3550, x3650, x3455, x3655, x3755
New storage options, including: IBM System Storage DS3400 SAS/SATA Fiber Channel Host Interface, DS3200 SAS Host Interface, EXP 3000 (SAS/SATA)
New networking options, including a range of both Ethernet and InfiniBand switches from Cisco, SMC and Voltaire.
IBM System Cluster 1350 pricing will vary depending upon specific configuration.

For more information about IBM, go to: www.ibm.com

IBM Blue Genes Dominate List of Fastest Supercomputers

IBM's (NYSE: IBM) Blue Gene®/L supercomputer continued its four-year reign atop the TOP500 Supercomputer Sites list announced today. IBM systems account for 42% of the combined computational might of the planet's most powerful computers -- more than any other supercomputer vendor, according to the list.

In addition, the development version of IBM's newest Blue Gene/P solution(1) burst onto the list at number 30. Launched yesterday, the two-rack test system delivers 20.86 teraflops in a space the size of two refrigerator-sized racks. When it is fully scaled out, Blue Gene/P can be configured to reach up to three petaflops -- or three thousand trillion calculations per second.

IBM dominates the Top 10 with a total of six systems -- four of them Blue Gene supercomputers. The number one Blue Gene/L system, installed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, delivers a sustained performance of 280.6 trillion operations per second or teraflops.

IBM systems account for 46 of the Top 100. Thirty-nine of them are built on IBM's POWER® architecture hardware running versions of Unix (AIX) and Linux software.

This year, two new IBM Blue Gene supercomputers entered into the Top 10. "New York Blue," at the New York Center for Computational Science in Stony Brook, N.Y., and the Blue Gene system at the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.

Joining the Blue Gene/L system at Lawrence Livermore in the TOP500 list's Top 10 are IBM Watson Research Lab's own Blue Gene system at 91.29 teraflops. In addition to Blue Gene systems, IBM's POWER-based ASC Purple supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is number six.

IBM's MareNostrum supercomputer, built on IBM BladeCenter JS21 blade servers and located at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, retained its position as the most powerful supercomputer in Europe, ranking number 9 on the overall list. IBM also has the biggest system in China, a BladeCenter cluster at Sinopec ShengLI Oilfield Branch Company, Geophysical Research Institute.

Based on IBM's POWER Architecture, the IBM System Blue Gene Solution is optimized for bandwidth, scalability and the ability to handle large amounts of data while consuming a fraction of the power and floor space required by today's fastest systems. A variety of industries are using Blue Gene systems to advance their research capabilities for life sciences, financial modeling, hydrodynamics, quantum chemistry, molecular dynamics, astronomy and space research and climate modeling.

The "TOP500 Supercomputer Sites" is compiled and published by supercomputing experts Jack Dongarra from the University of Tennessee, Erich Strohmaier and Horst Simon of NERSC/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Hans Meuer of the University of Mannheim (Germany). The entire list can be viewed at www.top500.org

HP and Microsoft Alliance Continues to Drive Productivity in High-Performance Computing

HP and Microsoft Corporation today announced an extension of their worldwide sales and marketing agreement that addresses the high-performance computing (HPC) market.

The companies have come together to drive high-performance computing into the mass market by delivering supercomputing clusters that are easier to deploy, support and manage for enterprise and mid-market customers.

The extension of the alliance entails a multimillion dollar investment by both HP and Microsoft, and includes HP selling Microsoft Windows® Compute Cluster Server (CCS) 2003 direct and via reseller channels as part of the HP Unified Cluster Portfolio, which is supported on HP ProLiant servers, HP BladeSystem and HP Cluster platforms.

“High-performance computing is poised for continued strong growth, averaging over 20 percent a year for the last four years, with HPC standards-based clusters growing at even higher rates. End-users are looking for easy-to-use systems and will likely go with vendors that can provide an easy transition from their desktop to HPC servers,” said Earl Joseph, program vice president, IDC, an industry analyst firm. “The HP and Microsoft partnership to provide Windows Compute Cluster Server on ProLiant and Blades platforms has the potential to address these key user requirements and enable more customers to take advantage of HPC technologies. Many users, especially desktop users, are already familiar with the Windows environment, and this partnership provides an easy transition to an HPC solution.”

The combination of Windows CCS and HP servers enables users to effortlessly expand their compute capability and easily tap into the power of clusters. Windows CCS is designed specifically to make HPC clusters easier to design, integrate and manage within organizations so employees are more productive.

HP enhancements to Windows CCS include custom installation scripts and documentation that greatly streamline deployment. The optional HP Message Passing Interface and InfiniBand drivers offer increased scalability and performance in applications that require high-speed, low-latency communications. Using HP’s custom installation kit for Windows CCS, a customer can realistically expect to have a 64-node cluster deployed and running within two hours.

“We see the addition of Microsoft as an important part of our Unified Cluster Portfolio program to expand the market and bring HPC technology to the mainstream,” said Winston Prather, vice president and general manager, High Performance Computing, HP.

As part of the alliance, HP and Microsoft have established technology centers in Houston and Grenoble, France, for customers and independent software vendors. The technology centers provide a venue for benchmarking, testing and validating applications on HP servers based on AMD and Intel® processors running Windows CCS.

HP and Microsoft team with ANSYS to bring HPC to vertical industries

HPC resources are in wide use in industries such as computer-aided engineering (CAE), oil and gas and financial services. To help more customers take advantage of HPC solutions based on Windows, HP and Microsoft are teaming with ANSYS, Inc., a global innovator of simulation software and technologies. The three companies are delivering the ANSYS portfolio of CAE applications as part of a cost-effective, easy-to-use and security-enhanced Windows HPC solution.

“By working collectively with HP, an industry leader in HPC, and Microsoft, the world’s leading software provider, ANSYS is providing customers with access to the most productive and powerful engineering simulation solutions available,” said Chris Reid, vice president of marketing, ANSYS. “ANSYS software is a valuable tool for anybody making fundamental design and engineering decisions, and our joint solutions with HP and Microsoft allow those decision makers to stay focused on innovation instead of lengthy IT deployment.”

Recently, Microsoft and ANSYS agreed on worldwide sales and marketing initiatives focused on joint solutions for the manufacturing industry. As part of these initiatives, ANSYS worked through the Microsoft and HP technology center to port, performance-tune and conduct benchmarks with its ANSYS® 11 and FLUENT® 6.3 CAE applications and the 64-bit Windows Server® platform.

“Microsoft is making long-term investments in HPC to help the community collaborate on innovative solutions that can accelerate the pace of discovery and insights,” said Bill Laing, general manager, Windows Server Division, Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft’s work with HP and ANSYS will deliver greater productivity and performance so they can tackle today’s most complex, technical computing challenges. Our long-established relationship with HP, and strong reseller channels, will enable us to bring HPC solutions to enterprise and mid-market customers.”

More information about HP high-performance computing is available at www.hp.com/go/hptc Further information about Microsoft high-performance computing is available at www.microsoft.com/hpc

IBM Triples Performance of World's Fastest, Most Energy-Efficient Supercomputer: New Blue Gene/P Designed to Break the Quadrillion Barrier

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced Blue Gene/P, the second generation of the world's most powerful supercomputer. Blue Gene/P nearly triples the performance of its predecessor, Blue Gene/L -- currently the world's fastest computer -- while remaining the most energy-efficient and space-saving computing package ever built.

The result is a machine that towers over other systems. It enables science and commercial supercomputing to attack vital problems in ways never before possible -- modeling an entire human organ to determine drug interactions, for example. Drug researchers could run simulated clinical trials on 27 million patients in one afternoon using just a sliver of the machine's full power.

The IBM® System Blue Gene®/P Solution scales to operate continuously at speeds exceeding one "petaflop" -- or one-quadrillion operations per second. The system is 100,000 times more powerful than a home PC and can process more operations in one second than the combined power of a stack of laptop computers nearly 1.5 miles high. The Blue Gene/P supercomputer can be configured to reach speeds in excess of three petaflops, a performance level that many thought unattainable only a few short years ago.


"Blue Gene/P marks the evolution of the most powerful supercomputing platform the world has ever known," said Dave Turek, vice president of deep computing, IBM. "A new group of commercial users will be able to take advantage of its new, simplified programming environment and unrivaled energy efficiency. We see commercial interest in the Blue Gene supercomputer developing now in energy and finance, for example. This is on course with an adoption cycle -- from government labs to leading enterprises -- that we've seen before in the high-performance computing market."

A Green Design Ahead of its Time

The Blue Gene® supercomputer line was born from a visionary IBM initiative to develop a hugely scalable and highly reliable scientific computing platform. With Blue Gene, designers sidestepped two key constraints on state-of-the-art supercomputing -- power usage and space requirements. The Blue Gene supercomputer was purpose-built to fit in smaller spaces and use less electricity compared to other commercially available designs. Today, the Blue Gene/P supercomputer is at least seven times more energy efficient than any other supercomputer.

The influence of the Blue Gene supercomputer's energy-efficient design and computing model -- once considered exotic -- can be seen everywhere in the industry where people have attempted to lower energy use and get performance without traditional reliance on chip frequency. The breakthrough BlueGene supercomputer design uses many small, low-power embedded chips each connected through five specialized networks inside the system.

Some of the world's leading research laboratories and universities have already placed orders for Blue Gene/P supercomputers. The U.S. Dept. of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill., will deploy the first Blue Gene/P supercomputer in the U.S. beginning later this year. In Germany, the Max Planck Society and Forschungszentrum Julich also plan to begin installing Blue Gene/P systems in late 2007. Additional Blue Gene/P system rollouts are being planned by Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., and the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire, England.

"We view the installation of the Blue Gene/P system as the next phase of a strategic partnership furthering advances in computation in support of breakthrough science," said Robert Rosner, director, Argonne National Laboratory.

At FZ Julich, where researchers have been using a Blue Gene/L machine for two years, a Blue Gene/P system will allow for more breakthrough science -- in such areas as particle physics and nanotech, for example -- while keeping the research facility within acceptable power budgets. "The big computing power at low electricity rates allows us to boost the performance of very complex and computationally intensive algorithms," said Thomas Lippert, director of the supercomputing center at FZ Julich.

Inside the Fastest Computer Ever Built

Like its predecessor, the Blue Gene/P supercomputer is a modular design, composed of "racks" that can be added as requirements grow.

Four IBM® (850 MHz) PowerPC® 450 processors are integrated on a single Blue Gene/P chip. Each chip is capable of 13.6 billion operations per second. A two-foot-by-two-foot board containing 32 of these chips churns out 435 billion operations every second, making it more powerful than a typical, 40-node cluster based on two-core commodity processors. Thirty-two of the compact boards comprise the 6-foot-high racks. Each rack runs at 13.9 trillion operations per second, 1,300 times faster than today's fastest home PC.

The one-petaflop Blue Gene/P supercomputer configuration is a 294,912-processor, 72-rack system harnessed to a high-speed, optical network. The Blue Gene/P system can be scaled to an 884,736-processor, 216-rack cluster to achieve three-petaflop performance. A standard Blue Gene/P supercomputer configuration will house 4,096 processors per rack.

For Programmers, Friendlier Interfaces & Application Compatibility Speed Productivity

There are some key differences between Blue Gene/L and Blue Gene/P supercomputers. In hardware, the Blue Gene/P supercomputer moves to more (four vs two) and speedier (850 MHz vs 700 MHz) processors per chip; more memory and an SMP mode to support multi-threaded applications. This new SMP mode moves the Blue Gene/P system to a programming environment similar to that found in commercial clusters. The Blue Gene/P supercomputer dramatically scales up collective network performance to minimize common bottlenecks inherent in large parallel-computing systems. Software marks the third key upgrade for the Blue Gene/P solution -- system management, programming environment and applications support have all been refined in Blue Gene/P.

In Germany, a Blue Gene/P supercomputer will become the platform for new applications scaled for petaflop-level performance at the Max Planck society. "The next-generation Blue Gene system will improve our capacity to prepare, develop and optimize applications from the Max Planck Society for future peta-scale computing," said Hermann Lederer, head of application support at Max Planck's RZG/Garching Computing Center.

The Blue Gene supercomputer operating system is based on the open-source Linux operating system. Applications are written in common languages such as Fortran, C and C++ using standards-based MPI communications protocols. The Blue Gene/P supercomputer is compatible with the diverse applications currently running on the Blue Gene/L supercomputer, including leading research in physics, chemistry, biology, aerospace, astrophysics, genetics, materials science, cosmology and seismology.

A variety of independent software vendors have plans to port existing tools and applications to the Blue Gene/P supercomputer. These include Gene Network Sciences, TotalView Technologies, Inc., Tsunami Development LLC and Visual Numerics, developers of IMSL.

For more information, go to: http://www-03.ibm.com/servers/deepcomputing/bluegene.html

Broadcast-quality video clips of Blue Gene systems, and of IBM Vice President David Turek discussing Blue Gene/P are available for download by journalists at http://www.thenewsmarket.com/ibm

IBM and OECD to Focus on Global Collaboration for Innovation

IBM (NYSE: IBM) has contributed a new social computing software called 'Many Eyes' for use during the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development) World Forum on Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies, this week in Istanbul. The innovative technology allows for the democratization of complex data by enabling users to upload any type of data and collaborate on the analysis of that information.

For example, Many Eyes users are currently uploading publicly available or personally gathered data regarding local or global issues -- such as tax rates, crime statistics, global warming, water safety, and healthcare -- and are offering opinions and insights on these topics. The information is displayed in a dynamic, easy to understand format that allows for real-time knowledge sharing.

IBM and OECD representatives believe that social computing software will help people from all over the world make more informed decisions and create a new level of civic dialogue about the issues affecting them in their communities, their countries and at a global level.

Nick Donofrio, IBM's executive vice president, Innovation and Technology, and a keynote speaker at the OECD World Forum, will address the issue of collaboration on a global level. "Nations, institutions and enterprises must work together to create a climate and culture for innovation; one that embraces cross-border, cross-organizational and cross-disciplinary collaboration," said Donofrio. "Innovation is more than just the availability and accessibility of information technology; it is fostered when information technology combines with deep insight to create new value for business, government, academia and our global society."

"Global discussion based on solid statistics allows society to understand its current state and provides a base from which to make progress and innovate," said Enrico Giovannini, Director of Statistics and Chief Statistician of OECD. "Providing OECD's 2007 Factbook data to the public offers citizens around the world an opportunity to collectively explore, discuss and tackle the societal challenges of our time."

IBM's Many Eyes enables users to upload and view large amounts of complex scientific data or playful, social content. Communities of people can then explore, discuss, and collaborate on visual content. Current data sets and visualizations reflect a diverse range of interests, including scientific (temperature and CO2 levels over time), political (U.S. political party affiliation over time), global (fertility rates around the world), and financial (venture capital investment in Europe). The addition of OECD 2007 Factbook data to Many Eyes will enable an even broader range of discussion, as data on health, science and technology, trade, GDP, energy use, education, and other globally relevant topics will now be available.

IBM and OECD will demonstrate the innovative technology during the conference by providing access to the OECD 2007 Factbook information guide to the general public. The data can be accessed by visiting http://services.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes and searching for OECD Factbook. The Factbook includes information on a variety of issues such as the environment, individual country economies, and healthcare. Concerned citizens, leaders, and institutions all over the world are invited to upload other sources of data they think are relevant to major world issues and to engage in debate and discussion using the technology.

The OECD World Forum (June 27-30, 2007) will bring together representatives from public and private sectors, and developed, developing and emerging countries for discussions on "Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies" (see www.oecd.org/oecdworldforum). Key world issues, such as changes in climate, health, and economic globalisation, are among the topics that more than 900 ministers, parliamentarians, academicians, business executives, and non-governmental organizations from over 100 countries will explore.

For more information on IBM, please visit www.ibm.com and for more information on OECD, please visit www.oecd.org

IBM Data Center Technology Helps Solar-Powered Web Hosting Firm AISO.Net Build on Its 'Green' Commitment to Customers

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that AISO.Net, the world's first and only 100 percent solar-powered Web hosting company, has completed a massive data center consolidation initiative using IBM technology, resulting in a 60 percent reduction in overall power and cooling costs associated with the company's IT operations.

Romoland, Calif.-based AISO.Net worked with IBM and IBM Business Partner Sirius Computer Solutions to overhaul its data center and implement a high-end, scalable technology infrastructure solution based on the IBM Cool Blue portfolio that will help the company better serve its dedicated and shared hosting clients. IBM's Cool Blue portfolio is a gathering of IBM hardware and software technologies that allow customers to increase their energy efficiency in the data center.

"For the past decade, AISO.Net has used solar power to power our data center and network, providing customers with environmentally friendly Web hosting," said Phil Nail, technology manager, AISO.Net. "As a result of the tremendous growth in Web hosting and dedicated server client demand, we were faced with the dilemma of how to remain true to our commitment to the environment and continue to see rapid, top-line growth."

Faced with the challenges of rising hardware costs and maxed-out capacity within its data center, AISO.Net initiated a strategy to gain greater control over computing resources, while continuing to deliver high-quality performance to its customer base. After a four-month planning process and three months of implementation, AISO.Net was able to meet its efficiency goals. Data center consolidation through virtualization eased the strain on AISO.Net's solar panel system and helped ensure the company's 100 percent commitment to solar power. This was a significant accomplishment for AISO.Net, which had already eliminated nearly 10 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year from its operations by relying solely on 120 solar panels to generate power.

AISO.Net, by filling their data center with IBM System x3650 servers and introducing IBM Virtualization and IBM partner technologies, has achieved its goal of dramatically improving its internal energy efficiency while also continuing to reduce its environmental impact.

"AISO.Net's success in optimizing its data center is an excellent example of the work we are doing with clients through IBM's recently announced Energy Efficiency Initiative, called Project Big Green," said Rich Lechner, vice president of IT Optimization, IBM. "The $1 billion industry commitment that we launched in May 2007 to help our customers become more energy efficient, combined with our ongoing drive to help clients virtualize more and manage less, is resulting in outstanding, real-world examples like AISO.Net."

In addition to the immediate reduction in data center energy demands, the technology solution delivered by IBM Business Partner Sirius Computer Solutions also freed up space on AISO.Net's existing servers, eliminated the need to budget for new servers and solar panels for the foreseeable future and guaranteed 99.9% availability of data to customers, while also increasing the company's server utilization rate by more than 50%.

"We are finding that customers of all sizes and scopes are interested in more energy efficient computing," said Chris Lusk, VP of Systems and Storage at Sirius Computer Solutions. "Technologies like virtualization are helping them reduce their energy consumption. It is great to be able to offer companies like AISO.Net with solutions that advance green computing."

Nail, of AISO.Net, was recently named one of InfoWorld Magazine's top CTOs of 2007. The annual list honors 25 innovative senior IT executives who've demonstrated leadership within their companies and the IT community. Nail was commended for AISO.Net's commitment to "green" technologies in the data center and as an overall business practice.

About AISO.Net

AISO.Net has been a trusted name in environmentally friendly web hosting since 1997, providing a level of service that is unmatched in the industry. All network and server hardware is fully redundant with 24x7-automated systems monitoring to ensure the highest possible uptime. Using solar panels to power its data center and network, AISO.Net is the first and only 100% completely solar powered web hosting company in the world. Customers as far away as Kenya, East Africa rely on the service and reliability offered by AISO.Net.

About Sirius Computer Solutions

Sirius (www.siriuscom.com) is a national IT solution provider and IBM Premier Business Partner dedicated to helping customers implement advanced infrastructure solutions that provide a competitive advantage and a positive return on their investment. Backed by 26 years of IT experience, Sirius has a certified team of sales and technical professionals with the skills, product knowledge and commitment to help customers develop and implement the right solution to solve their business needs.

Cable Operators Can Deliver and Extend the Connected Life via Complete Cisco Cable ServiceMesh Solution

Cisco® today announced it is launching the Cisco Cable ServiceMesh solution, the industry's first integrated, end-to-end wireless architecture designed for cable operators who want to extend indoor Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) to outdoor mesh networks in municipalities, tourism centers, small businesses and universities in North America. This new architecture offers the foundation layer for broadband mobility.

Building on the Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture, the Cisco Cable ServiceMesh solution is a fully integrated outdoor wireless platform that helps enable operators to quickly deploy a variety of value-added, revenue-generating services via a single network infrastructure. By using the Cisco Cable ServiceMesh solution, cable operators can create new revenue opportunities through the deployment of an outdoor wireless mesh solution that utilizes existing infrastructure to cost-effectively expand their service offerings and their market reach, bringing the Connected Life to customers at home, at work or on the move.

The new Cisco Cable ServiceMesh solution is a comprehensive wireless broadband system comprising:

• Cisco Aironet® 1520 Series Lightweight Outdoor Mesh Access Points, a new set of wireless access points with integrated Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) 2.0 cable interfaces used to create metropolitan-scale, outdoor wireless networks, providing access to any Wi-Fi compliant device;


• Cisco Wireless Services Modules, which provide the control, scalability and reliability needed to build highly secure, carrier-grade indoor and outdoor 802.11 wireless networks;


• Cisco Wireless Control System software, an industry-leading platform for wireless local area network (LAN) planning, configuration, management, troubleshooting, and mobility services for the Cisco Cable ServiceMesh solution;


• Cisco Intelligent Services Gateway, which delivers advanced subscriber awareness, resource provisioning and access control capabilities. The Cisco Intelligent Services gateway also simplifies the creation and speeds the delivery of advanced IP services over Cisco IP NGNs. The Cisco Intelligent Services Gateway has been designed to support both IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and non-IMS based applications;


• Cisco Service Control Engine, a solution that controls packets on a Layer-7 application level while utilizing the existing IP wireless network infrastructure to provide a variety of services; and


• Cisco 7600 Series Router, the industry's leading edge router that delivers robust, high-performance IP/MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) features for a range of service provider edge applications.

This combination makes possible multiple applications, including extending data, voice and video streaming outside the home, police, fire and emergency services, as well as those for city operations, such as remote access to city applications, automated meter reading, and permit verification and compliance.

The Cisco Cable ServiceMesh solution is a proven solution for delivering pervasive wireless access and network services required for outdoor Wi-Fi networks. The network convergence layer of the Cisco IP NGN architecture helps enable the convergence of disparate, service-specific networks to a single, more efficient and flexible IP-based infrastructure. With the Cisco IP NGN, service providers can deliver services more efficiently and effectively and provide the means to support tomorrow's bandwidth-intensive municipal, residential and business services.

Cisco Cable ServiceMesh Solution Offers Benefits to Multiple System Operators


The Cisco Cable ServiceMesh design allows operators to rapidly deploy and monetize value-added services in new markets. In turn, cities, convention centers and small businesses can improve productivity and economic growth, while streamlining their operations with the wide variety of applications enabled by new Wi-Fi networks.

Key benefits to service providers include:

• Reduce customer churn by offering mobility extensions to existing service offerings;


• Generate new revenue by offering indoor/outdoor wireless services to municipalities, universities and businesses;


• Cost efficiently deploy ubiquitous Wi-Fi by using existing cable infrastructure;


• Efficiently manage the new operations with an integrated end-to-end architecture that includes management for all application, services, devices, and users; and


• Position the company for future rollouts of broadband mobility services.

"Service providers can extend their existing network with an outdoor mesh and offer a multitude of services, not just to cities, but to educational and health care institutions, public utilities, convention centers and even to consumers," said Jeff Spagnola, vice president, service provider marketing at Cisco. "A well-planned outdoor wireless mesh network can address all customer groups and allow them to interact securely on the same network. The Cisco Cable ServiceMesh solution offers all that and more."

Cisco Unveils New Aironet 1520 Series Lightweight Outdoor Mesh Access Point

A new component of the Cisco Cable ServiceMesh solution is the Cisco Aironet 1520 Series, an outdoor wireless mesh platform that integrates Wi-Fi client access and wireless backhaul in a rugged, outdoor enclosure and features an embedded DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem to connect to existing cable plant.

Scheduled to be available in July 2007 in North America, the Cisco Aironet 1520 Series is designed to support dual-band radios compliant with IEEE 802.11a and 802.11b/g standards. The integrated DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem also provides the ability to power by cable plant helps enable cable operators to easily deploy mesh networks without requiring pole access rights which can be costly and time consuming. The ability to strand mount the Cisco Aironet 1520 Series on existing cable strand provides the ultimate flexibility for cable operators to easily expand their cable services to reach new customers.

Multiple power and mounting options provide flexibility in outdoor installations for the mesh access point. Wireless mesh radio performance is improved with the 802.11g 3-channel Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC) technology for better access coverage. The Cisco Aironet 1520 Series uses an intelligent wireless routing algorithm to create a mesh network with other Cisco Aironet 1520 Series mesh access points providing network reliability and availability to meet the challenging requirements of outdoor deployments.

The Cisco ServiceMesh solution recently won the International Engineering Consortium InfoVision Award that recognizes the leading broadband products in deployment. For more information on Cisco Cable ServiceMesh solution and Cisco Aironet 1520 Series, visit Cisco booth 865 at SCTE Cable-Tec EXPO (June 20-22) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., or click the following URL:

www.cisco.com/go/cableservicemesh

About Cisco
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

HP Helps Enterprises Accelerate Delivery of IT Projects with New Software, Services

HP today announced a significant expansion of its Business Technology Optimization (BTO) capabilities to help IT organizations improve efficiencies and deliver better business outcomes.

With major software updates and new services in its quality management and service management offerings, as well as further integration across its software product line, HP is enabling customers to rapidly deliver IT projects and services to achieve on-time, on-budget product introductions and increased profitability.

The expanded portfolio was unveiled at HP Software Universe, the company’s annual customer event focused on its software business and related partners and resellers.

“With so much of business today relying on technology, CEOs need IT more than ever to fuel growth,” said Thomas E. Hogan, senior vice president, Software, HP. “To help IT deliver the speed and agility the business needs, HP BTO software and services provide a platform to align with business requirements, automate for efficiency and increase collaboration across functions.”

According to a recently released study conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of HP, companies are experiencing unacceptable levels of IT delays. Although 62 percent of companies surveyed said that faster IT meant higher profits, the study showed that one in four IT projects are delivered late. Furthermore, majority of those surveyed said no more than one in two IT initiatives produced positive business outcomes.

This gap results from tight budgets and limitations imposed by manual processes, point solutions and teams working in silos. To address this growing gap, the HP BTO portfolio helps IT organizations:

• Make sure IT and non-IT managers work on the same business goals;


• Speed up internal processes within IT functions such as IT strategy, applications and IT operations; and


• Automate processes across the different IT roles.

“As one of the world’s largest hotel and leisure companies, we are constantly identifying opportunities to grow our business online,” said Todd Thompson, chief information officer, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “By giving us the ability to rapidly update our business applications without compromising quality, HP Software helps us improve the customer experience and increase the loyalty of the hundreds of thousands of guests, business customers and travel agents that use our reservation system every day.”

Quality Management solutions

Updates to HP Quality Center software and HP LoadRunner software as well as new quality management services include:

• HP Quality Center Software – Includes the first ever business requirements and quality management capabilities fully integrated in a single real-time system. This major new release enables customers to adopt “agile testing” methods to facilitate more frequent software releases while taking a risk-based, business priority-driven view of quality management.


• HP LoadRunner Software – Enhancements help address the major shift in the way IT will deliver applications over the Internet, including advanced performance testing of Web 2.0-enabled service-oriented architectures and rich Internet applications.


• HP Quality Management Ecosystem – Provides customers with the broadest support for platforms, applications and environments by allowing HP Software partners to develop and market test accelerators for HP Quality Center and HP LoadRunner software.


• HP Quality Factory Services – Part of the HP Services Application Lifecycle Optimization offering, this set of best practices and services helps IT organizations successfully implement improved application quality and performance, process.

“Demand for greater business agility is driving the majority of new application implementations and changes, and it requires the optimization of every aspect of the application’s lifecycle,” said Thomas Murphy, research director, Gartner, an industry analyst firm. “When it comes to delivering applications that meet the needs of the business, quality assurance teams must look for ways to greatly accelerate their testing cycles in order to meet increasingly stringent schedules from business and application teams.”

Service Management solutions

Enhancements to HP Service Management portfolio include innovations in HP Change and Configuration Management Center, HP Service Management Center software solutions, and new related services. The offerings include:

• HP Change Control Management Software – Helps IT organizations accelerate the delivery of change by automating approval processes and eliminating the need for time-consuming change advisory board meetings. This new software release is part of HP Software’s end-to-end change control solution.


• HP Configuration Management Software – Helps reduce the risk of business disruptions by allowing customers to automatically and reliably deploy new applications and operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows Vista™ to the entire enterprise.


• HP Best Practices for Service Center – Provides pre-defined ITIL processes for service management that helps IT organizations accelerate HP Service Center deployment and optimize its ongoing use.


• HP Service Management Framework – This new services offering, which is a consolidation of HP’s solutions, expertise, methodologies and industry standards, including ITIL v3 and COBIT, help IT partner with the businesses it supports, by providing better governance, service management and efficiency.

“At Northwest Airlines we are able to provide efficient and reliable software services throughout our enterprise, in turn reducing our costs of doing business,” said Ken Gleason, manager client products, Northwest Airlines, Inc. “HP Configuration Management solutions have helped us successfully manage change across business-critical applications, including those used at every airport we service worldwide. We’re confident that HP solutions will help us reduce business risk, as we migrate our enterprise to Microsoft Windows Vista.”

Additional technology integration

Building on more than 75 integration points across its BTO portfolio, HP unveiled new cross-product integrations that help customers automate key processes across IT silos with a lifecycle approach, including:

• HP Universal CMDB – The only configuration management database (CMDB) built on dependency mapping and integrated with help desk, change and configuration management and business service management offerings. This helps reduce the risk of business disruptions by ensuring a consistent definition of a business service from the time it is ordered from the service catalog, through change impact analysis and approval, to the time it is deployed and monitored in production; and


• HP Service Center Software – Several new integrations help to better align the change request, approval and deployment processes and accelerate delivery of IT services to business users. For instance, HP Change Control Management and HP Configuration Management are integrated with HP Service Center to create a closed-loop change process and complete audit trail for compliance purposes.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $97.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com



(1) The Economist Intelligence Unit whitepaper, “Technology at the Speed of Business,” is available for download at EIU Report.

Autodesk Extends Visualization Leadership with Acquisition of Opticore AB

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire certain assets of Opticore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Design Communication, based in Gothenburg, Sweden that provides software for interactive and realistic 3D visualizations and presentations. The acquisition underscores Autodesk's continued drive to deliver solutions that support best-in-class designers and manufacturers and enable them to implement a complete Digital Prototyping solution.

Opticore is a premier graphics communication software provider delivering advanced technology used to produce believable, highly interactive and realistic 3D digital product visualizations and presentations. Opticore products leverage digital prototypes from computer-aided-design (CAD) and computer-aided-industrial-design (CAID) to reduce the need for physical prototypes, shorten development cycles and increase communication between designers, managers and customers.

Autodesk currently plans to continue the development of Opticore technology and supporting Opticore customers. Through the combination of Autodesk and Opticore expertise and technology, Autodesk will be able to deliver even more advanced visualization solutions by leveraging real-time ray tracing and a deep engineering knowledge base.

"The acquisition of Opticore technology is part of Autodesk's commitment to set the direction for Digital Prototyping and offer a complete solution across the Manufacturing industry," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, senior vice president, Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. "By adding Opticore products, Autodesk intends to offer the most complete design visualization solution in the market, providing automotive and product designers the opportunity to select the most cutting edge visualization product that best meets their needs."

"Autodesk and Opticore products together will offer the market a superior visualization solution," says Stefan Hallin, Chairman of Design Communications. "Customers of both companies will benefit from this announcement."

Opticore customers include major automotive manufacturers in all continents as well as large manufacturers. Automotive clients include: AUDI AG, Ford Motor Company (with the brands Ford, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover), Hyundai, KIA, FAW, Brilliance Auto, Tata Motor, Mahindra Mahindra, Bajaj Auto, Honda and Nissan Mitsubishi. Consumer product and transportation customers include: Canon Inc, Philips Consumer, Nokia Mobile, Electrolux and Bombardier Trains. Opticore has almost 50 clients throughout Asia including all eight major automotive manufacturers in Japan.

Business Outlook
This transaction is expected to have no impact on targeted non-GAAP EPS for fiscal 2008. Non-GAAP EPS excludes in-process R&D expenses and the amortization of acquisition-related intangibles.


About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com/

CSCO: Airbus Takes Off with Cisco Unified Communications

Cisco® today announced that Airbus has completed deployment of a Cisco Unified Communications system to help improve collaboration, increase productivity and simplify its communications infrastructure, which will support 45,000 employees. The completion of the deployment marks the shipping of 12 million Cisco Unified IP Phones.

Airbus has migrated from a traditional private branch exchange (PBX) system to a fully IP-based telephony system, with 30,000 extensions in France and 10,000 extensions in the UK. Airbus is using Cisco Unified Communications Manager call-processing software to cover all sites. The contract to implement and manage Airbus' IP Communication over a five-year period was signed in 2005 by Orange Business Services, the communications service operator and integrator that represents the business communications solutions and services provided by France Telecom Group.

Cisco Unified Communications is helping Airbus extend consistent communication services to all employees working at Airbus campus locations in France and the UK. Orange Business Services took just nine months to install the central architecture following initial configuration and planning. The solution was rolled out at a rate of up to 600 phones a day, highlighting the speed and ease with which Cisco Unified Communications can be implemented.

"Effective communication systems that encourage collaboration between employees and help improve company efficiency are essential in helping us respond to growing customer demands," said Robert Louge, head of IT Projects, Airbus. "Cisco's solution has helped us improve communications, reduce our spending by simplifying our communications infrastructure and allowed us to make a quick and simple transition to an IP-based Unified Communications platform."

Chris Dedicoat, President, European Markets, Cisco, said: "Shipping our 12 millionth Unified IP Phone to Airbus highlights the speed at which Cisco Unified Communications is being adopted and the benefits it brings to customers. The system deployed by Airbus will help it meet the communication needs of a growing business, reduce costs and encourage collaborative working, which will help increase the productivity of its employees."

About Cisco Unified Communications
Cisco Unified Communications system is part of an integrated solution that includes network infrastructure, security, mobility, network management and lifecycle services. Cisco Unified Communications offers flexible deployment and outsourced management options, end-user and partner financing packages and third-party communications applications. For additional information on the entire Cisco Unified Communications family of products and applications visit: www.cisco.com/go/unified

About Airbus
Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive family of airliners on the market, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. Airbus has delivered over 4,500 aircraft to more than 250 customers worldwide and boasts a healthy order book in excess of 2,500 aircraft for delivery over the coming years. With an annual turnover of around 26 billion euros in 2006, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and the Middle East. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company.

About Cisco Systems
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

CSCO: Cisco and IBM Expand Alliance to Centralize Service Management for Service Providers

Cisco® and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced an expansion of their existing strategic alliance to deliver new standards-based telecommunications service assurance and fault-management solutions. Next month, Cisco will introduce a service-management solution that combines Cisco Active Network Abstraction (ANA) technology with the industry-leading IBM Tivoli software to help service providers centrally manage new services. The new offering, Cisco Assurance Management Solution, will provide network fault monitoring, trouble isolation, and real-time service-level event management for large multi-vendor networks on a next-generation mediation platform.

Using the Cisco ANA platform mediation capabilities and IBM Tivoli technology, the Cisco Assurance Management Solution will help service provider customers change and evolve network devices and configurations without having to change their service management and operations support systems applications. This solution will enable service providers to more effectively manage Internet Protocol (IP)-based services and help dramatically reduce implementation and maintenance costs.

"Cisco and IBM have a long history of working together to improve the competitiveness of our joint service provider customers," said Al Zollar, general manager of Tivoli Software for IBM. "This new agreement gives service providers the combined benefits of proven IBM Tivoli technology together with Cisco's breakthrough approach to network mediation with an open, standards-based solution. As IBM looks to help our service provider customers deliver higher return on their network and IT investments, Cisco is a natural partner."

The initial version of the Cisco Assurance Management Solution will include IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus and Netcool/Precision technology. Cisco is also able to incorporate other Tivoli technologies in future versions of assurance solutions. Cisco will offer professional services to help ensure rapid implementation by its customers.

"Cisco Active Network Abstraction is the basis of future solutions being delivered to our service provider customers. This expanded collaboration with IBM provides customers with the confidence that Cisco's new device management and mediation products will work with IBM software," said Cliff Meltzer, senior vice president of the Network Management Technology Group at Cisco. "The commitment from IBM demonstrates the unique capabilities of Cisco ANA and will provide our joint customers with a platform that transforms their network into a strategic business asset."

The Cisco ANA is designed to be interoperable with IBM Tivoli software, including Tivoli Netcool/Impact and Tivoli Business Service Manager. This expanded alliance will help enable both new and existing Tivoli Netcool and Cisco Info Center customers to effectively take advantage of the benefits of Cisco's ANA platform. Cisco Info Center is the Cisco-branded version of Tivoli Netcool which is used by more than 500 of Cisco's largest customers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Since 1999, IBM and Cisco have forged a unique, broad-reaching strategic alliance to better enable their customers' ability to innovate. The IBM and Cisco strategic alliance has more than 25,000 joint customers. The companies are a proven resource for the seamless and rapid integration of business processes, industry knowledge, information technologies, and the intelligence of the network, maximizing their customers' ability to envision, design, and innovate to exceed business objectives.

For more information about Cisco Assurance Management Solution, Cisco ANA, and the collaboration, visit www.cisco.com/go/ana

IBM Tivoli Netcool software has been selected by more than 1,000 service providers globally, including all of the top 20 carriers. The software helps service providers ensure quality, reduce operational costs and speed time to market. IBM's recent acquisition of Vallent further extends IBM's ability to help service providers address emerging opportunities in next-generation network transformation, fixed/mobile convergence, and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) deployment.

For more information about IBM Tivoli and Tivoli Netcool software, visit www-306.ibm.com/software/tivoli/solutions/service-provider/ .

SUNW: Deloitte & Touche LLP, Sun Microsystems Unveil New Identity and Access Management Offering

Deloitte & Touche LLP and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW) today announced a new Enterprise Role Lifecycle Management (ERLM) offering that enables organizations to simplify compliance management, reporting, and user administration of identity and access management (IAM) deployments.


Among the first truly integrated enterprise role lifecycle management offerings, ERLM combines Deloitte & Touche's Role Management for Enterprises (RM4E) service delivery methodology, Sun's Java System Identity Manager, and Vaau, Inc.'s RBACx role mining, role lifecycle management and role reporting capabilities.

ERLM facilitates the lifecycle processes related to enterprise roles, including the definition, management and use of roles. As a result, enterprise roles can be used to represent the "role" or "job function" of users, which can then serve as the basis for establishing the access rights appropriate for applications and systems within an organization's IT environment. ERLM can assist organizations in simplifying compliance management, reporting and user administration by establishing processes that quickly respond to changes and efficiently address compliance requirements.

"As a recognized global leader in identity management with billions of user identities worldwide managed by Sun, we understand that as organizations expand, they begin facing enormous pressures to better manage costs of both demonstrating compliance and efficiently governing access to information and systems," said Jim McHugh, vice president, software infrastructure marketing, Sun Microsystems. "Sun's strong relationship with Deloitte & Touche and the new ERLM offering show our commitment to helping customers meet their critical security and compliance needs."

The new ERLM offering is the result of a series of strategic investments by Deloitte & Touche in its Identity and Access Management Center of Excellence. As a result of these investments, Deloitte & Touche recently released the latest version of its Identity and Access Management methodology (IAMethods) and Role Management for Enterprises (RM4E) delivery approach. The expanded Deloitte & Touche IAM Center of Excellence includes a team of professionals dedicated to the Sun relationship, focusing on activities such as the development of specific enhancements to its proprietary IAMethods, which can be used to accelerate client implementations.

"Our collaborative efforts with Sun, strong industry focus and ability to deliver unique services around Sun technologies produce a successful, repeatable and customer-focused enterprise-wide delivery approach that addresses essential business issues," said Rick Siebenaler, principal, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "The combination of IAMethods, deep business process knowledge and technical understanding of Sun IAM solutions can help organizations simplify compliance processes and reduce administration costs, all based on an optimal set of business-oriented user roles within an organization."

Building upon Deloitte & Touche's IAM implementation methodology and insights obtained from more than a decade of experience in IAM implementations, IAMethods addresses the various elements of an IAM-related initiative including web access management, user provisioning, strong authentication, and federation, for example, while providing a set of integrated processes, blueprints and tools to help reduce deployment risks and costs. RM4E is one of the approaches supported by IAMethods, providing a business-driven approach to implementing role-based access control (RBAC) and helping organizations support their compliance programs.

Deloitte & Touche and Sun will demonstrate the ERLM solution during the Gartner Identity & Access Management Conference in London, June 25-26, http://www.gartner.com, and at the Sun hospitality suite at the Burton Catalyst Conference in San Francisco, Calif., June 28, http://catalyst.burtongroup.com

For more information about the ERLM offering please visit:

Sun at: http://www.sun.com/software/products/identity/partners/consulting_partners.jsp
Deloitte at: http://www.deloitte.com/us/sun

About Deloitte

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, its member firms and their respective subsidiaries and affiliates. As a Swiss Verein (association), neither Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu nor any of its member firms has any liability for each other's acts or omissions. Each of the member firms is a separate and independent legal entity operating under the names "Deloitte", "Deloitte & Touche", "Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu" or other related names. Services are provided by the member firms or their subsidiaries or affiliates and not by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Verein.

Wipro and EMC Announce Global Strategic Information Infrastructure Alliance

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT) and EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today announce a global strategic alliance to address customers’ information infrastructure requirements, while expanding Wipro’s and EMC’s reach in the $60 billion worldwide information infrastructure market.

The alliance unites Wipro’s applied innovation framework for developing new solutions and services around EMC’s industry-leading information infrastructure technologies to enable more organizations, specifically in targeted growth markets, to optimize their infrastructures, secure and protect their information, and leverage their information to unlock its full potential. Wipro and EMC intend to explore collaboration of industry and application specific solutions in key business areas that solve customer needs related to storage management, information management, content management, and information security.

Wipro and EMC bring together extensive experience and presence to expand relationships with existing customers and acquire new ones in both emerging and developed markets. To further enable this alliance, EMC intends to help certify more than 1,000 Wipro practice resources on EMC technologies to support pre-sales, delivery, and solution development.

Commenting on this strategic alliance, Suresh Vaswani, President, Wipro Technologies said, “The alliance with EMC is part of Wipro’s Applied Innovation initiative that includes new ideas that will deliver significantly higher value and business results to our global customers. This alliance is significant for us as it showcases our agility and flexibility to transform our business to meet changing customer requirements.”

Sanjay Mirchandani, EMC's Senior Vice President of Emerging Markets and International Development, said, “Customers' IT environments are getting more complex. All around the world we are seeing a growing eagerness for organizations to embrace and enter the global market, leading to large government and business investments on upgrades, digitization and associated information infrastructure technology. Wipro is one of the world’s fastest-growing services companies, and together Wipro and EMC can harness each other's strengths to meet this expanding demand for world-class information infrastructure offerings.”

About EMC

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information. Information about EMC’s products and services can be found at www.EMC.com

About Wipro

Wipro Technologies, a division of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT) is the first PCMM Level 5 and SEI CMM Level 5 certified IT Services organization globally. Wipro Technologies was recently assessed at Level 5 for CMMI V 1.2 across offshore and onsite development center’s. Wipro is one of the largest product engineering and support service providers worldwide. Wipro provides comprehensive research and development services, IT solutions and services, including systems integration, Information Systems outsourcing, package implementation, software application development and maintenance services to corporations globally.

In the Indian market, Wipro is a leader in providing IT solutions and services for the corporate segment in India offering system integration, network integration, software solutions and IT services. Wipro also has profitable presence in niche market segments of consumer products and lighting. In the Asia Pacific and Middle East markets, Wipro provides IT solutions and services for global corporations. Wipro's ADS’ are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and its equity shares are listed in India on the Stock Exchange - Mumbai, and the National Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit our websites at www.wipro.com, http://www.wiprocorporate.com.

Intel and Google Join with Dell,EDS,EPA,HP,IBM,Lenovo, Microsoft, PG&E, World Wildlife Fund and Others to Launch Climate Savers Computing Initiative

Intel Corporation and Google* joined with Dell*, EDS*, the Environmental Protection Agency*, HP*, IBM*, Lenovo*, Microsoft*, Pacific Gas and Electric*, World Wildlife Fund*, and more than a dozen additional organizations today announcing their intent to form the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (www.climatesaverscomputing.org ). The goal of the new broad-based environmental effort is to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by setting aggressive new targets for energy-efficient computers and components, and promoting the adoption of energy-efficient computers and power management tools worldwide.

"Today, the average desktop PC wastes nearly half of its power, and the average server wastes one-third of its power," said Urs Holzle, senior vice president, Operations, Google Inc. "The Climate Savers Computing Initiative is setting a new 90 percent efficiency target for power supplies, which if achieved, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons per year -- and save more than $5.5 billion in energy costs.

"We are asking businesses and individuals throughout the world to join with us to institute better power management of their computing equipment and purchase energy-efficient computers," Holzle added.

Initial companies who intend to participate in the initiative represent both the demand and supply side of the computer industry, including computer manufacturers and chip makers, as well as environmental groups, energy companies, retailers, government agencies and more. The group will formalize its membership in coming weeks.

"By 2010, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative will cut greenhouse gas emissions in an amount equal to removing more than 11 million cars from the road or shutting down 20 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants -- a significant step in reducing the emissions affecting our planet," said Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group.

"Computers have helped us make huge strides toward a more efficient world today, with reduced travel, more productivity, online transactions and more," Gelsinger added. "But with today's latest energy-efficient technologies, we can do even more. The commitment of the member companies that are here with us today is a firm statement to the collective resolve to make an enormous impact."

Computer and computer component manufacturers who support the initiative are committed to building energy-efficient products that meet or surpass the EPA's Energy Star* guidelines. Businesses must also commit to requiring high efficiency systems for the majority of their corporate desktop PCs and volume server purchases, and to deploy and use power management tools on desktop PCs.

Individual consumers can also support the Climate Savers Computing Initiative by signing up at www.climatesaverscomputing.org, where they will be able to pledge to purchase an initiative-certified system. The Web site will also help consumers learn how to take advantage of their existing computer's power-saving capabilities such as sleep and hibernate modes, which can reduce the amount of energy consumed by up to 60 percent.

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative licensed its name from the World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers program, which involves several leading companies working to reduce their carbon footprint.

"This is the first time our Climate Savers program has been applied to an entire sector, engaging manufacturers, retailers, and consumers," said John Donoghue, senior vice president for the WWF. "We are pleased to join these industry leaders to provide solutions to address climate change."

The initiative's energy efficiency benchmarks will initially follow the EPA's Energy Star guidelines; but with increasing requirements during the next several years. For example, 2007 Energy Star specifications require that PC power supplies meet at least 80 percent minimum efficiency. The initiative would require a minimum of 90 percent by 2010. In addition, the initiative sets a higher efficiency target in the power supply for volume servers (1U and 2U single-socket and dual-socket systems): an increase from 85 percent to 92 percent efficiency by 2010. For a complete description of the requirements, see www.climatesaverscomputing.org.

Initial Supporters
Intel Corporation (www.intel.com),
Google, Inc.* (www.google.com),
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.* (www.amd.com),
Canonical Ltd.* (www.canonical.com),
Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society* (www.citris-uc.org), Coldwatt, Inc.* (www.coldwatt.com),
Dell Inc.* (www.dell.com),
Delta Electronics, Inc.* (www.delta.com.tw),
eBay* (www.ebay.com)
Electronic Data Systems Corporation* (www.eds.com),
EMC Corporation* (www.emc.com),
Fujitsu Limited* (www.fujitsu.com),
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.* (www.hp.com),
Hipro Technology Inc.* (www.hipro-us.com),
Hitachi, Ltd.* (www.hitachi.com),
IBM Corporation* (www.ibm.com),
LANDesk Software* (www.landesk.com),
Lenovo Group Limited* (www.lenovo.com),
Linux Foundation* (www.linux-foundation.com),
Massachusetts Institute of Technology* (web.mit.edu),
Microsoft Corporation* (www.microsoft.com),
Natural Resource Defense Council* (www.nrdc.org),
NEC Corporation* (www.nec.com),
One Laptop per Child* (www.laptop.org),
PG&E Corporation* (www.pgecorp.com),
Power-One, Inc.* (www.power-one.com),
Quanta Computer Inc.* (www.quantatw.com),
Rackable Systems* (www.rackable.com),
Red Hat, Inc.* (www.redhat.com),
Starbucks Corporation* (www.starbucks.com),
Sun Microsystems, Inc.* (www.sun.com),
Supermicro Computer Inc.* (www.supermicro.com),
United States Environmental Protection Agency* (www.epa.gov),
University of Michigan* (www.umich.edu),
Unisys (www.unisys.com)
Verdiem Corporation* (www.verdiem.com),
World Wildlife Fund* (www.worldwildlife.org),
World Resources Institute* (www.wri.org),
Yahoo!* (www.yahoo.com).


About Intel
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

About Google Inc.
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.


* Other brands may be claimed as the property of others.
†Based on IDC projections of desktop and server volumes between 2007 and 2011. Emissions savings in mid-2010, and savings are annual starting in 2010.

IBM Strengthens Database Portfolio With New Informix Dynamic Server

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) 11 -- code-named "Cheetah," -- a next-generation data server which, for the first time, brings mainframe-like continuous availability and disaster recovery capabilities to global data centers.

The new IDS 11 is tuned to deliver a combination of increased performance, reliability and scalability, along with the ability to handle massive volumes of complex data at very high speeds -- essential capabilities in today's demanding, time-sensitive information management environments.

IDS 11 also enables customers to enhance information management for their cluster server environments using technology borrowed from IBM's mainframe systems. As a result, IDS 11 is the first data server in the industry to provide clustered data centers with continuous data availability and disaster recovery regardless of the geographic location or distance between backup data center sites.

With the arrival of IDS 11, IBM has, yet again, enhanced the most complete and versatile, end-to-end data server lineup in the industry, less than a year after unveiling the DB2 9 Viper data server. IDS 11 is expected to further expand IBM's fast-growing database business, which generated double-digit revenue growth in 1Q 2007 and gained share vs. the competition.

"IDS 11 performs right out of the box and enables customers to quickly react to changing market demands by providing uninhibited access to important business information," said Arvind Krishna, vice president IBM data servers. "With near hands-free administration, greater reliability and its global availability feature, IDS 11 offers companies superior data center performance at the lowest total cost of ownership."

IDS 11 will provide higher performance and lower total cost of ownership to customers and solutions that require little or no database administration (DBA) support to manage a multitude of remote data server locations, such as retail stores, hotels, banking branches, hospitals, etc.

The versatile IDS 11 also benefits smaller companies and organizations that rely upon uninterrupted information access, but don't have large IT staffs to manage numerous data server instances. For example, online gaming provider, WorldWinner, is looking to IDS 11 to support its Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) games -- from managing the games and tracking information about players, to authenticating their identification and billing information -- in real-time.

"Informix Dynamic Server has helped make us the predominant site on the Internet for skill-based game tournaments, we're seeing such extreme performance improvements that our speeds are now serving as a benchmark in the industry," said Joe Bai, Chief Information Officer, WorldWinner. "With IDS 'Cheetah,' it's almost as if Informix built a new release just for me. Informix has given us a path toward better response time, and a low-cost means of growth."

The impact of IDS 11 will extend far beyond the gaming market to other real-world situations that affect end-users. For example, the US 911 emergency call network relies upon IDS and every single VISA credit authorization in the US is processed through IDS in real-time. These customers benefit from the near-zero response time IDS offers and will further benefit from the IDS 11's ability to provide highest availability and disaster recovery capability in the industry.

To help customers in all industries accelerate time-to-value for new applications and in porting existing applications, IDS 11 features significant enhancements to application development and provides extended support for Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) application development collaboration and integration.

IDS 11 also includes enhanced support for hierarchical data structures, built-in flexible text searches unstructured documents and enhanced support for datatypes support for distributed queries across multiple data server instances.

New in IDS 11

The IDS 11 continuous availability feature offers significant cost savings with support for cluster solutions, providing scalability to meet growing business demands, and failover recovery from any node to ensure continuous business operations. Additionally, IDS extends high availability with multiple HDR sites.

IDS 11 offers Advanced Access Control, which incorporates industry-leading technology first introduced in DB2 9 Viper, including cell, column and row level label based access control (LBAC) for more secured data accesses. LBAC is a unique data access capability that provides an extremely flexible means of defining security hierarchies and classification levels. LBAC then allows users to apply these definitions to the information that is being managed. The new labeling capability provides new ways to control access to sensitive data stored within the database.

Another key feature in IDS 11 is the ability to offer an even greater reduction in hands-on database administration, freeing up DBA resources to address other business needs, as well as enabling integration of administration functions within an application, making IDS invisible to applications that do not want database awareness in their solutions. A new SQL-based Admin API monitors and performs administrative tasks within and across applications and a new data query scheduler monitors events and resources, collecting statistics for automated reporting.

Additional features in IDS 11 include:


-- GUI-based IDS Admin for remote administration
-- Web Feature Service API for location services
-- Built-in functions for XML publishing
-- New and updated DataBlades
-- Customizable server footprint

IDS 11 was developed in conjunction with numerous business partners who participated in an advisory committee that provided important insight and feedback during the IDS 11 development process and helped accelerate the testing and validation of new features.

The IDS 11 data server is a strategic element of IBM's Information Management software portfolio and delivers exceptionally fast OLTP performance, high reliability and low cost administration. IDS is a leading integrated data server in many market segments such as retail, telecommunications, healthcare, government/public sector, banking/finance, entertainment, and SMB. The continued popularity and use of IDS is illustrated by the fact that in North America alone, eight of the top ten retailers and twenty of the top twenty-five supermarkets use IDS.

IDS 11 will be available worldwide beginning on July 6. Customers, developers and partners can find out more about IDS 11 at www.ibm.com/informix/new

Broadcom to Acquire Global Locate, Inc., a Provider of Industry-Leading GPS Chips and Software

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Global Locate, Inc., a privately-held, fabless provider of industry-leading global positioning system (GPS) and assisted GPS (A-GPS) semiconductor products and software. GPS is expected to join Bluetooth® and similar wireless technologies as a pervasive feature in next generation mobile devices. Global Locate's semiconductor solutions are used in mobile phones from leading cellular handset makers and incorporated into products from TomTom NV, the largest personal navigation device (PND) vendor in the world.

GPS products and location based services (LBS) are increasing in popularity with consumers and cellular service providers as both take advantage of the ability to identify exact geographical location by means of faint radio signals transmitted from a system of orbiting satellites. Growing consumer interest in these applications is driving the GPS chip market, which is expected to grow to $1.07 billion annually by 2012 according to market research firm Forward Concepts. The latest generation of PNDs provides location, points of interest and turn-by-turn navigation, features that are attracting increasing adoption among consumers. Cellular service providers also plan to incorporate GPS chips in mobile phones to meet government regulations for emergency 911 calls and to increase their average revenue per user (ARPU) with location based services.

Broadcom expects the demand for GPS devices to increase dramatically as the deployment of GPS in mobile phones increases. Combining Global Locate's GPS technology with Broadcom's leading Bluetooth, Wi-Fi®, cellular and other mobile technologies will provide leading handset makers with wireless connectivity solutions that add significant value to feature and smart phone products.

Global Locate has focused on GPS chip and navigation technology since it was founded in 1999. The company is currently producing its third generation of GPS chips and has developed a worldwide GPS reference network that provides assistance data to its A-GPS-equipped chips via cellular data channels (GPRS or 3G), boosting performance and reducing the time required to determine a location by up to 100 times.

"With the acquisition of Global Locate, Broadcom will be the only semiconductor supplier in the world with top-tier customers in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM radio and GPS, four of the key wireless technologies now being added to next generation mobile phones," said Robert A. Rango, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Wireless Connectivity Group. "We are also pleased to add Global Locate's strong patent portfolio of over 175 issued and pending U.S. and foreign patents to our already robust patent portfolio."

"The combination of Global Locate's navigation expertise with Broadcom's well-known leadership in CMOS RF technology will enable Broadcom to develop a new generation of standalone GPS chips as well as GPS chips that incorporate other wireless standards, accelerating the adoption of GPS into all sorts of consumer devices," said Scott D. Pomerantz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Locate. "Joining with Broadcom and its leading position in wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, we can accelerate the penetration of Global Locate's GPS technology into mobile phones and at the same time accelerate the penetration of Broadcom's other wireless products into personal navigation devices."

Product Details

Global Locate's solutions are ideal for high volume GPS-enabled products like PNDs and cellular phone handsets where navigation performance and high sensitivity needs are coupled with requirements for low power consumption and small form factors. While many existing GPS solutions consist of two separate chips, a separate baseband and radio, Global Locate has integrated both into a single-chip CMOS product.

Global Locate offers products specifically optimized to add GPS cost effectively as a feature in devices such as mobile phones. In cellular applications where a wireless network connection is available, Global Locate's products can also access assistance data to enable more rapid "time to fix" performance. For example, traditional GPS can take as long as several minutes to determine location in the best conditions, but with Global Locate's assistance data, that time can be reduced to just a few seconds.

The acquisition also includes Global Locate's innovative World Wide Reference Network (WWRN) providing real time A-GPS data as well as Long-Term Orbit (LTO) solutions to provide assistance even when a network connection is not available. Several carriers, including one of the most widely used A-GPS networks in North America, have adopted Global Locate's A-GPS server solution to provide location based services, which dramatically increases their revenue per usage metrics.

Broadcom's Wireless Connectivity Group has been one of the company's fastest growing businesses over the last three years. This growth has been driven by the adoption of Bluetooth in mobile phones, the proliferation of Wi-Fi technology in the home, and the expansion of Voice over IP (VoIP) services by telecommunications carriers. Broadcom anticipates that GPS will be a significant growth driver for its wireless connectivity business as GPS is adopted in mobile phones and other consumer devices.

Transaction Details

In connection with the acquisition, Broadcom expects to pay approximately $146 million net in cash at closing in exchange for all outstanding shares of capital stock and other rights of Global Locate. A portion of the consideration payable to the stockholders of Global Locate will be placed into escrow pursuant to the terms of the acquisition agreement. Additional consideration of up to $80 million in cash will be reserved for future payment to the former holders of Global Locate capital stock and other rights upon satisfaction of certain performance goals. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the merger. The closing, which is expected to occur during Broadcom's third quarter ending September 30, remains subject to customary closing conditions. Broadcom may record a one-time charge for purchased in-process research and development expenses when the closing occurs. The amount of that charge, if any, has not yet been determined.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art, system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.

Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with 2006 revenue of $3.67 billion, and holds over 2,000 U.S. and 800 foreign patents, more than 6,000 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data.

Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at http://www.broadcom.com

About Global Locate, Inc.

Global Locate, Inc. is a privately-held company that provides GPS semiconductor products and software for mobile phones, personal navigation devices and networks. The company has more than 175 U.S. & foreign patents issued or pending relating to GPS and assisted GPS (A-GPS) technology, and its product suite includes Hammerhead®, the world's first commercial single-die GPS receiver. Global Locate is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. with offices in the New York metropolitan area, Tokyo, Taipei and Madrid.

Sun Introduces New Offering To Simplify IT Inventory Management

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW) today announced the immediate availability of the Sun Connection Inventory Channel, a new, free offering for Sun customers that allows system administrators and IT operators to quickly and easily discover, organize and report on their IT assets. The first inventory management solution to deliver one-click discovery across systems running the Solaris Operating System (OS) and Linux, Sun Connection Inventory Channel enables customers to actively manage their IT assets and gain valuable insight into their IT operations by tracking critical information including product type, product version, licensing and registration status and support contract ID number.


"Sun is continuing to expand its offerings to help customers more efficiently manage their data centers," said Steve Wilson, vice president of Connected Systems, Sun Microsystems. "The Sun Connection Inventory Channel provides a simple, powerful way for customers to track, sort, search and group their IT assets and support contracts. Ultimately, by automating the process, customers are able to easily understand their assets and make better informed IT decisions for the future."

Many IT administrators have complex management mechanisms in place to benchmark the health and performance of their IT operations, but often do not have a single view of what software, systems and storage they have and where these assets are running. While some solutions offer partial automation, keeping track of inventory, managing new additions and tracking removals is difficult, error prone and often requires manual processing.

Sun Connection Inventory Channel provides a unified view of hardware and software assets via a dynamic Web-based user interface. Customers can quickly search through thousands of assets based on a combination of search criteria including host name, product type, product version, support contract ID number and custom, user-defined asset tags.

The Sun Connection Inventory Channel complements the existing Sun Connection Update and Provisioning Channels by providing a lightweight and cost-effective asset management solution on a heterogeneous platform. The Sun Connection Update Channel provides central patch management capabilities on multiple operating platforms. The Provisioning Channel allows customers to perform provisioning tasks such as copy and paste of existing system deployments to new systems running the Solaris OS, Red Hat or SUSE Linux. For more information about Sun Connection, please visit: http://www.sun.com/sunconnection

The Sun Connection Inventory Channel is available free to all customers, whether an enterprise has purchased a high-end UltraSPARC-based server or a start-up has downloaded the Solaris OS for free. Access to the new channel is available at: http://sunconnection.sun.com/inventory

HP Enhances Blade PC Solution to Deliver True Desktop Experience for Business Customers

HP today introduced its third generation Consolidated Client Infrastructure (CCI) solution, which enables businesses to deploy blade PCs to their full range of traditional desktop users while delivering a true PC experience.

The CCI solution now includes new HP BladeSystem bc2000 and bc2500 blade PCs and HP Remote Graphics software to provide greater processing power and performance, improved graphics and streaming video to users with network connectivity and an HP thin client or other access device.

HP also introduced PC Session Allocation Manager 2.0, which includes PC “hot desk” access that allows users to securely and easily change work locations. Allocation Manager 2.0 intelligently converts from single- to dual-monitor environments without user intervention and supports HP’s Remote Graphics software for an improved multimedia experience. It also features “plug and play” blade PC self-registration functionality for quick and easy deployment, as well as built-in tools that help IT staff manage blade PC utilization to ensure maximum user productivity.

“A flexible IT strategy is key to managing the variety of workplace paradigms in place today – dispersed workforces, telecommuting, outsourcing and offshoring – in addition to the security and compliance issues corporations now face,” said Kevin Frost, vice president, Business PCs, HP. “The HP CCI solution helps address these issues by improving business continuity and security, dramatically lowering operational support costs, and increasing agility by allowing IT staff to focus on growth opportunities, not technology problems.”

In the HP Consolidated Client Infrastructure solution, the central processing unit, memory and hard disks that are typically found in a desktop PC are split across blade PCs and redundant storage devices in a highly secure, centralized data center. Users are networked to these resources across standard LAN or WAN connections from virtually any location via a simple access device, such as an HP thin client.

CCI is part of HP’s portfolio of Remote Client Solutions, which includes traditional HP thin client/server-based computing, HP Virtual Desktop Infrastructure running on HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers, and HP Blade Workstations. Based on common systems management, allocation management, protocol and access device infrastructure, the portfolio allows IT customers to meet the needs of a highly varied workforce.

Easy to size and budget for large user groups

CCI is designed for the largest groups of end users: basic productivity and knowledge workers. It provides them with a complete, personalized, predictable desktop experience by allocating a one-to-one connection to a blade PC. The solution additionally offers dedicated compute resources to eliminate performance variances of shared environments and ensures each end-user has the memory and processing power he or she needs.

Blade PCs also streamline capacity planning and eliminate the risk of underestimating the investment required to deploy remote client solutions. A dedicated HP blade PC architecture follows normal desktop economics with per-seat costs that make large deployments possible, with sizing and budgeting as simple as determining the number of users requiring simultaneous PC access.

With the HP CCI solution, IT tasks such as application upgrades, new application deployments, operating system migrations and security updates can be accomplished without undue risk to existing hardware and budgetary plans. The solution can also reduce power consumption by using highly power-efficient blade PCs in the data center and low-wattage thin clients desk-side.

Easy in the data center

HP blade PCs are designed to simplify PC provisioning and updates while leveraging standard data center management tools and operational procedures. The new HP blade PCs maximize data center floor space while minimizing power consumption by providing desktop performance with the highest rack density (280 blades in an industry-standard 42U rack) at the industry’s lowest power rate of any blade PC (as low as approximately 7 kilowatts per 280 blades).

CCI also allows IT to enforce best practices worldwide by managing all client computing from a central console for easier image management, virus protection and resource allocation while leveraging the same server management tools that are familiar to IT staff.

“As one of the leading electronic discovery service providers, Fios requires scalable, predictable and reliable systems to support the processing, preservation and production of our clients’ evidence. HP’s blade PCs deliver great form factor and efficient power consumption,” said Tho Han, IT director, Fios Inc., a Portland, Ore.-based provider of electronic discovery services to the country's largest corporations and law firms. “The integration, deployment and manageability of these systems are easy and enable us to quickly meet the ever-increasing demands of our client’s case loads.”

Pricing and availability

The HP BladeSystem bc2000 Blade PC starts at $1,000 per bc2000 blade (when purchased in a 10 pack)(1) featuring a single-core AMD Athlon™ 64 2100+ processor, 80 gigabyte (GB) SATA hard drive(2) and 1 GB of DDR2 memory.(3)

The HP BladeSystem bc2500 high-performance blade PC starts at $1,500 when purchased in a 10 pack(1) featuring an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3000+ dual-core processor,(4) 80 GB SATA hard drive(2) and 1 GB DDR 2 memory.(3)

“AMD and HP are committed to providing customers with innovative technology solutions, such as CCI, that provide outstanding total cost of ownership,” said Bob Brewer, corporate vice president and general manager, Desktop Division, AMD. “Powered by energy-efficient AMD Athlon processors, these new blade PC offerings will help provide customers with increased power efficiency and high performance.”

Both new blade PCs come with Microsoft Windows® Vista™ Business edition(5) and are available with the choice of either HP Remote Graphics Software 5.0 or Microsoft RDP 6.0, which both support dual-monitor functionality for even more advanced graphic capabilities. They also include the HP ProtectTools Trusted Platform Module 2.0 embedded security chip for added data security.

More information about the HP Consolidated Client Infrastructure solution is available at www.hp.com/go/cci



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(1) Estimated U.S. list price. Actual prices and configurations may vary.

(2) 1 GB = 1 billion bytes. Actual formatted capacity is less. Up to 8 GB (for XP and XP Pro) and up to 12 GB (for Vista) is reserved for system recovery software.

(3) Above 3 GB, all memory may not be available due to system resource requirements.

(4) To take advantage of the 64-bit processing capabilities of the Athlon 64 X2 3000+ dual-core processor, this system requires a separately purchased 64-bit operating system and 64-bit software products. Given the wide range of software applications available, performance of a system including a 64-bit operating system will vary.

(5) Certain Windows Vista product features require advanced or additional hardware. See www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/hardwarereqs.mspx and www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx for details. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can help determine which features of Windows Vista will run on a computer. To download the tool, visit www.windowsvista.com/upgradeadvisor.