HP Drives Growing Worldwide Adoption of Workstation Technology, Unveils Two Quad-core Models

Business Wire, Nov 7, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO -- One year after delivering its first workstations based on Quad-Core Intel[R] Xeon[TM] processors, HP (NYSE:HPQ) said customers are experiencing performance increases of up to 400 percent, with double-digit gains in productivity and faster return on investment.(1,2)

Companies use HP workstations to design everything from running shoes to race cars, animated characters to deep-sea submersibles, and to manage everything from billions of dollars of tradable securities to mission-critical IT environments.

During the past year, HP workstations based on Intel Xeon processors have continued to ramp up in sales. According to industry analyst firm IDC, HP's global year-over-year workstation growth for the second calendar quarter was 40 percent(3) - three times the rate of the rest of the workstation market. HP's workstation growth has been driven by fast-developing economies, vertical markets, and workflow and productivity transformations that quad-core technology brings to customer environments.

Today, HP followed up on this momentum with the unveiling of two upcoming eight-core workstations - the HP xw6600 and HP xw8600 - both powered by two next-generation Quad-Core and Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors.

"Customers can expect HP to be first to market with leading-edge workstation technology at a great value, while improving the customer experience," said John Thompson, vice president and worldwide general manager, Workstations, HP. "As part of our singular focus on satisfying the world's most demanding users of workstation technology, we offer more performance and robust capabilities with an eye towards designing for the environment."

Unveiled at an HP and Intel co-hosted event in San Francisco, the soon to be released workstations are designed to meet the needs of some of the most computing-intensive industries, including software design, architecture, high-definition video, game development, scientific imaging and oil exploration.

The new workstations should help customers build on the success they've seen with the current single-socket and dual-socket quad-core systems. "Our eight-core HP machine goes beyond what I thought was capable in a workstation," said Jason Pohl, senior designer, Orange County Choppers, a maker of unique, custom-designed high-performance motorcycles based in Orange County, N.Y. "Simultaneously, I can do five SolidWorks designs, several large Photoshop documents, render 3D studio max 900,000 polygon models with textures, run Outlook, and access several websites while streaming music and video. One more thing: It doesn't miss a beat!"

Here is a sneak peek at what will be under the hood:

* Two next-generation Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5400 series or Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 5200 series, based on Intel's new formula for creating chips (Intel 45-nm Hi-k metal gate silicon technology), which provide significantly better performance per watt than their predecessors and eliminate eco-unfriendly lead;

* Dual, full-performance PCI Express Gen2 x16 graphics slots;

* Memory capacity of up to 128 gigabytes in the HP xw8600;

* Storage capacity of up to 5 terabytes;

* HP workstations are 90 percent recyclable by weight and now come standard with more than 80 percent efficient power supplies, saving businesses money by reducing power requirements;

* Supports HP Remote Graphics Software, Performance Tuning Framework, tool-less chassis, and acoustic optimization technologies; and

* Form that is optimized for desk-side, desktop or industry-standard rack mount solutions.

The quad-core HP xw6600 and xw8600 Workstations are expected to begin shipping in mid-December with starting prices around $1,200.(4)

"For an entire year, Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors with leading energy-efficient performance have been enabling businesses around the world to work more productively," said Tom Kilroy, vice president and general manager, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel. "Before the end of 2007, we'll help enable even higher levels of productivity when the new 45-nm Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5400 series and Intel 5400 chipset-based platform deliver breakthrough performance to help improve the processing and visualizing of large amounts of complex data."

HP customers share real-life quad-core experiences

At HP and Intel's Quad-Core World Tour San Francisco event, customers who have been using the current generation of Quad-Core Intel processors shared best practices and productivity gains using quad-core "experience centers" to demonstrate how the technology has transformed the way they run their businesses:

Wareham, Mass.-based Factory Five Racing, the world's largest manufacturer of component car kits, uses quad-core technologies to do simultaneous product design and analysis on the same workstation, often times using all the cores. Using HP quad-core workstations, Factory Five has experienced a 4x reduction in its design-analysis times.

Houston-based El Paso Production is one of the top 10 domestic independent energy companies in the United States. It uses Intel-based quad-core HP workstations and Landmark's GeoProbe[R] software to analyze and interpret seismic and well data. Using quad-core technology, El Paso has seen a more than 400 percent improvement in seismic analysis throughput, directly affecting its exploration and production success.