Jaxa: Sun Announces Availability of the Java HotSpot Performance Engine; Offers Unprecedented Performance Improvement For The Java 2 Platform - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, May 3, 1999

Sun Microsystems, Inc. Tuesday announced the release of the Java HotSpot Performance Engine, the fastest software to date for Java technology performance. The Java HotSpot performance engine breaks new ground in software design and raises the bar by providing 100% higher performance than the previous Java platform. The Java HotSpot Performance Engine will be available free of charge for download at http://java.sun.com/products/hotspot/index.html.

"Java HotSpot Performance Engine turbocharges the Java 2 platform -- performance is no longer an issue," said Jon Kannegaard, Vice President and General Manager, Java Platform at Sun Microsystems, Inc.'s Java Software. "This release maintains uncompromising compatibility while dramatically boosting speed. It's now the obvious choice for deploying full-scale Java applications in the enterprise."

The Java HotSpot Performance Engine combines the fast, stable and scalable Java 2 platform with Sun's advanced adaptive optimization technology. The software is completely compatible with the Java 2 platform and can be added to the Java 2 runtime environment through the new pluggable virtual machine architecture, providing a seamless transition to forthcoming versions of the Java HotSpot performance engine.

"By uniting the power of the Java HotSpot Performance Engine with the Java 2 platform, which was released at the Java Business Expo in December 1998, Sun has created the definitive platform for businesses competing in the networked economy," stated Kannegaard.

Cross-Platform Performance Improvements Sun is focused on improving Java platform implementations and performance so that software developers can count on their Java technology-based programs running rapidly and reliably, regardless of the underlying architecture. The Java HotSpot Performance Engine improves performance by using advanced adaptive optimization techniques. This on-the-fly optimization makes programs faster by identifying the "hotspots," the parts of the application where the most time is spent executing bytecode, and accelerating the rate of execution for this performance-critical code.

This adaptive optimization technology coupled with faster thread synchronization delivers on the promise of providing unparalleled performance of Java applications written for server environments. The Java HotSpot Performance Engine delivers 31.1 on SpecJVM98 on a 450MHz Pentium II machine with dual processors and 256mb of memory running Windows NT 4.0 -- the highest score published to date in that class. On the Solaris 7 operating environment, the Java HotSpot Performance Engine delivers even higher SpecJVM performance at 31.9 on a 450mhz Ultra 60 machine with 512mb ram.

"The increasing emphasis on cross-platform computing in enterprises today has turned the attention of many organizations to tools and platforms that offer benefits in terms of performance, scalability, and security," said Steve Garone, Program Director for Application Development Tools at International Data Corporation. "Sun's introduction of Java HotSpot, in IDC's opinion, represents a significant step forward in meeting these important needs. Developers can now create and deploy applications and leverage all the benefits of Java 2. This is an important announcement for Sun Microsystems and for developers."

Additional features of the Java HotSpot Performance Engine, including method inlining and improved garbage collection, provide fast, reliable and portable performance for applications developed and deployed on the Java 2 platform. For more technical information, please refer to http://java.sun.com/products/hotspot/index.html.

Availability and Deployment To ensure that developers have access to the fastest runtime environment for applications created and deployed using the Java 2 platform, the Java HotSpot binaries are available now for free download at http://java.sun.com. In addition to providing versions for the SPARC processor/Solaris operating environment and Windows platforms, Sun is working with its licensees to deliver the Java HotSpot Performance Engine for other major platforms.

Java HotSpot Performance Engine for SPARC processors has been tuned to improve performance of Java application performance on Sun systems, as well as other systems that use SPARC technology. This performance improvement is visible in scalable applications employing multiple threads and multiple CPUs. Beta versions of this technology are available now via the web at http://java.sun.com and the final release of the Java HotSpot technology for SPARC processors will be available in June 1999.

An early access version of the Java HotSpot 2.0 Performance Engine will be available this summer. This release will offer a 30% performance increase from the current Java HotSpot 1.0 product and will be the first in a series of periodic upgrades intended to maintain Sun's performance advantage.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer," has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., to its position as a leading provider of high quality hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $10.5 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com.