HP, Unisys, and SGI Intro Itanium ServersHP, Unisys, and SGI Intro Itanium Servers

Systems based on Intel's Itanium processor this week will gain ground in the high-performance server market, thanks to new introductions from Hewlett-Packard, Silicon Graphics, and Unisys.

The new servers will be based on Intel's Madison version of its 64-bit Itanium processor, which boosts both clock speed and on-chip memory and was introduced by Intel on Monday.

Observers have long questioned Intel's Itanium game plan, which when introduced last year broke compatibility with Intel's x86 product line. The Itanium decision has been credited with giving Advanced Micro Devices Inc. an opening to create its strongest market position ever with its x86-compatible 64-bit Opteron processor.

Intel's Madison version of Itanium 2 at the high end increases clock speed from 1.5 GHz to 1.6 GHz, and on-chip memory from 6 Mbits to 9 Mbits. It also sets the stage for Intel's next Itanium advancement, a dual-core version expected late next year.

Intel has consistently maintained that it believes Itanium was necessary to compete long-term in the high-performance computing market against RISC-based processors such as IBM's Power and Sun's Sparc. And while the success of AMD's Opteron forced Intel to also push its Xeon line to 64-bit capability, Nathan Brookwood, an analyst with Insight 64, says Intel's strategy is beginning to take shape. "This is one more step on a long journey," Brookwood says. "The price/performance of Itanium continues to improve and the software availability for Itanium continues to improve as the product matures and gains a wider following."

Gordon Haff, an analyst with Illuminata, says Itanium-based systems are now well-positioned to compete with alternatives in the high-performance computing market, including those based on IBM's Power processor, and AMD's Opteron. "Clearly, Itanium has a lot of legs" in the high-performance market, Haff says. "I don't see in the near- to mid-term a clear knock-out winner between x86, Power, and Itanium in this space, but Itanium is clearly a contender."

Intel is introducing six new Itanium 2 processors. Three of the devices are aimed at four-way systems: a 1.6-GHz version with 9-Mbit cache priced at $4,226 each in quantities of 1,000; a 1.6-GHz version with 6-Mbit cache priced at $1,980; and a 1.5-GHz version with 4-Mbit cache priced at $910. Two devices are aimed at the two-way market: a 1.6-GHz version with 3-Mbit cache and 533-MHz front side bus priced at $1,172, and a 1.6-GHz version with 3-Mbit cache and 400-MHz front side bus priced at $851. Also offered is a low-voltage version that operates at 62 watts and performs at 1.3 GHz with 3-Mbits cache and is priced at $530.

Introductions of three Integrity servers based on the new Itanium 2 processor shows "that no company is as committed to the breadth of industry standards as HP," says Bruce Toal, director of marketing and solutions for the high-performance division at HP. HP now has a three-tiered strategy for high-performance computing, Toal says: The Cluster Platform 3000 based on ProLiant DL360 G4 servers with Xeon processors; the Cluster Platform 4000 based on ProLiant DL145 servers with Opteron processors; and the Cluster Platform 6000 based on Integrity servers with Itanium 2 processors.

HP is adding three members to the Cluster Platform 6000 based on the new Intel chips: the Integrity rx1620, a 1-U system with one or two Itanium 2 processors, with an entry price of less than $4,000; the Integrity rx2620, a 2-U system with one or two Itanium 2 processors, with an entry price of less than $5,000; and the Integrity rx4640, a 4-U system with one to four Itanium 2 processors, with an entry prices of less than $15,000.

Although Intel's Itanium strategy has been controversial, the processor family is making progress, Insight 64's Brookwood says, with 2004 marking the first full year for system availability from OEMs such as HP and Silicon Graphics. "These products are just barely hitting their stride," he says. For example, a significant win for Itanium was disclosed last month by SGI, which said it had completed a 15-week effort with NASA and Intel to build a supercomputer at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., that utilizes 10,240 Itanium 2 processors.

By bringing out compatible enhancements to the Itanium line on a regular basis, Intel is also letting its OEM partners provide system upgrades with little or no change in price, Brookwood says.

Still, it may be a challenge for Itanium to find success in a broader OEM market. While HP is clearly committed to the processor, others are less enthusiastic. IBM offers Itanium-based systems, but emphasizes systems based on its own Power processor line, and Sun Microsystems is dedicated to Opteron- and Sparc-based offerings, Brookwood says. "This is going to continue to be a very competitive market," he adds, "and Itanium is just starting to get itself established"