Expect IBM Summit Servers This FallExpect IBM Summit Servers This Fall

If all goes as planned, IBM could begin selling Summit-based servers this fall. IBM's forthcoming Summit chipset, which can link up to 16 processors in a single server, is undergoing compatibility testing by chipmaker Intel.

Initially, Summit systems will be powered by Intel's upcoming Foster MP processor, which is essentially a Pentium 4 Xeon chip designed for use in servers with four or more processors. But IBM also plans to add Summit support for Intel's 64-bit McKinley chip, slated for availability next year. McKinley is the follow-up to Itanium, Intel's first generation 64-bit chip.

Jim Gargan, marketing VP for IBM's eServer xSeries systems, says the strategy gives customers the ability to use proven 32-bit technology in a highly scalable, multiprocessor system this year and then migrate to a more mature 64-bit Intel environment next year. "We're going to see the adoption of IA-64 pick up considerably with McKinley, but the 32-bit environment is still going to be dominant for some time," Gargan says. He adds that users will be able to run 32-bit and 64-bit Summit systems side by side.

In addition to its multiprocessor capability, Summit borrows a number of other high-end features from IBM's Non-Uniform Memory Access technology. For instance, while a single Summit chipset can join together up to four Intel processors, Summit systems will feature a high-speed interconnect that can link four groups of four processors, enabling them to work together as a single unit with 16 processors.

Analysts say Intel's validation of the technology is a big plus for IBM. Says Bob Sutherland, a Technology Business Research analyst, "It certainly gives them a head start in terms of going to market."