HP to port Sun to IA-64 architecture

Electronic News, Feb 9, 1998

Mountain View, Calif.--Sun Microsystems' Java software received support on several different fronts as Patriot Scientific said it is rolling out a 0.35-micron market-ready microprocessor for Java while Hewlett-Packard announced that it will port Java to the forthcoming Intel IA-64 (64-bit Intel Architecture) and expand the HP IA-64 jump-start advantage program to include key Java Internet developers. HP is working with such Internet ISVs as Ariba, WebLogic and others to ensure Java application availability for future IA-64-based HP systems.

While software behemoths Microsoft and Sun Microsystems prepare to possibly battle it out in court to determine whether Microsoft has the right to alter the Java code to suit its purposes or must conform to Sun's Java specifications, Hewlett-Packard said it will port Java to IA-64 and expand the IA-64 jump-start advantage program to include key Java Internet developers. The IA-64 jump-start advantage program includes services to provide OEMs with planning, technical support and developer tool sets to transition their systems to IA-64-based HP systems. As part of this program, HP is establishing a porting and testing facility for Java developers.

HP and Intel worked together in 1994 to develop EPIC technology, the foundation for the 64-bit Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) within IA-64. Bill Russell, HP VP and GM of the Enterprise Systems Group, commented: "We're evolving Java from a technology that is technically interesting to one that is compelling and viable for HP's enterprise customers."

HP expects to announce its detailed plans for bringing Java to the enterprise in March, when it will be a Platinum co-sponsor of the JavaOne Developer Conference. At Spring Internet World (March 9 to 13 at the Los Angeles Convention Center), Lewis E. Platt, HP chairman, CEO and president will deliver a keynote address on "Strategies to Make Your Net Perform More Profitably and More Effectively." Also at Spring Internet World, Nigel Ball, HP VP and GM of the Internet Applications Systems Division, will be joined by WebLogic's chief architect and founder, Bob Pasker, to present "Developing Server Side Applications on the Net."

Meanwhile, Patriot Scientific Corp. said the move to 0.35-micron from 0.5-microns is in line with emerging industry expectations. The company's PSC1000 Java MPU will result in claimed clock rate of up to 150MHz. Other chip upgrades under consideration include the addition of cache, the company said. According to Joey Maitra, VP of engineering for Patriot Scientific, the PSC1000's architecture makes it possible to upgrade the chip quickly.

"Because of PSC1000's fundamentally different and simpler design and unique stack architecture we have the capacity to double performance every six months."

The PSC1000, a 32-bit microprocessor based upon Patriot's patented ShBoom technology, is targeted at new low-cost Java applications as well as the traditional embedded systems' markets. In addition to Java, PSC1000 supports C and FORTH programming languages. The PSC1000 is available priced less than $10 per chip in high volumes.