Sun Microsystems has introduced its first quad-core x64 (x86, 64-bit) systems, including the world's smallest four-socket x64 server.

The server delivers up to twice the expandability and compute power as other servers, yet is half the size, the Sun said in a statement.

The Sun Fire X4450 and Sun Fire X4150 servers, powered by Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors, enable customers to solve critical problems in the datacenter by offering more performance, higher density, and better power efficiency than competitive systems in the market today. Both servers also give customers a choice of operating systems, running the Solaris Operating System (OS), Windows, Linux or VMware, with the flexibility to deploy a broad range of applications, it said.

The new quad-core servers help to continue Sun's x64 momentum and growth. According to IDC Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, August 2007, Sun has enjoyed seven straight quarters of growth in x86 server revenue and last month broke into the top five in x86 server revenue with 50.9 per cent year-on-year revenue growth -- the highest among the top five vendors in the worldwide x86 server market.

The Sun Fire X4450 server, powered by the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 7300 series, is the first and only four-socket quad-core system in a 2U form factor on the market from a tier-one vendor. It is the best four-socket x64 server in terms of performance, density and power efficiency. It offers up to twice the compute power and memory capacity, and as much as 50 percent lower energy consumption than competitive servers, resulting in lower energy and cooling costs.

The Sun Fire X4150 server, powered by the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300  series, is a two-socket 1U system with up to twice the memory capacity, internal storage and networking connectivity as competitive two-socket 1U servers. With more than 1 terabyte of high-performance internal disk storage, the Sun Fire X4150 server is an ideal solution for horizontal database and other disk-intensive applications.

“These new quad-core servers offer world-class performance, unmatched density and expandability, and an energy-efficient design that is much more advanced than anything from our competitors,” said Craig Vintcent, systems practice manager – Mena, Sun Microsystems. “With a choice of operating systems and the ability to run a broad range of applications, they can truly operate as a universal platform.”

“The Sun/Intel alliance, though less than one year old, has already produced results, such as the Sun Blade 6000 modular system and the Sun Fire servers being announced today,” said Patrick Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group. “Sun is expanding its Intel architecture-based systems line by leaps and bounds, due in large part to its systems innovation and engineering creativity with Intel Xeon processors.”

The Sun Fire X4450 and Sun Fire X4150 servers incorporate new, innovative design principles in a shared chassis design for maximum compute density, leading storage capacity, embedded system management, built-in virtualization support and investment protection. The new chassis design, optimized for cooling and power efficiency, offers industry-leading energy efficiency and performance in a small form factor. – TradeArabia News Service