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Sun to Merge UltraSPARC with Fujitsu's SPARC64?

Posted by michael on from the dying-gasp dept.

Waldmeister writes "The Register has a story from a japanese source, that Sun and Fujitsu are planning to combine their Unix server businesses. Even if Sun doesn't comment on this, they acknowledge that Scott McNealy met Fujitsu's CEO this week. If this will happen, Fujitsu will get the bigger chunk of manufacturing and engineering. With the PrimePower systems outperforming Sun's SunFire systems for some time now, this sounds reasonable, too. And it gives Sun the chance to more resources to extend their Linux and x86 business." There's also a Reuters story.

6 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Ouch to the American Company by Davak · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Woah. Sorry. Missed my cut and paste. This is the quote for which I was looking:
    The newspaper also said the two firms would jointly develop cutting edge microchips for the servers' CPUs (central processing units) and Fujitsu would mass-produce them in Japan.

    But such a move would hurt Texas Instruments Inc (NYSE:TXN - News), which currently makes CPUs for Sun, and some analysts said pooh-poohed the idea that this would happen.


    I wonder how Sun is going to get out of this long term contract with TI... otherwise, I don't see how this new merger is going to really help Sun.

    Davak

  2. Are they or are they not joining? by Davak · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Here's the latest updated article

    The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Thursday that the firms will standardize designs for Unix servers as early as 2004 and production of high-end servers would be consolidated at a Fujitsu subsidiary.

    If they agree to integrate their server operations, the two companies would have more than 40 percent of the Unix server market, topping market leader Hewlett-Packard (HPQ: news, chart, profile).

    It seems that Fujitsu is not confirming that the two companies will "broaded this relationship." See quote below.

    Fujitsu spokesman Scott Ikeda said that while the two companies enjoy a close partnership and have had discussions in the past, there have not been fresh talks to broaden this relationship.

    "At the present time, however, nothing has been decided with respect to expanding the scope of our current relationship with Sun," Fujitsu said in a statement.


    Too much news being leaked? Or is there another reason to not confirm this at this time?
  3. Extend their Linux and x86 business? by Zocalo · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Really? "Sun has no Linux strategy and that the server maker offers Linux only because customers ask for it", and "Linux is a 'great environment for the hobbyist' but not for corporate IT shops" McNealy and software vice president Jonathan Schwartz at SunNetwork in San Francisco, 16th September 2003.

    They might be doing Linux, but they are certainly not keen on the idea and are only doing so because their customers keep asking for it. Well, at least they are listening to their customers I suppose, so there is that, but it still feels to me like Sun has seriously lost its sense of direction recently. I suspect a lot of FUD filled editorial is going to be written under banners like "Has the SPARC gone out for Sun?" real soon now.

    Still, at least Apple's star seems to be rising at the moment. ;)

    --
    UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
  4. Sun Shine on AMD? by 4of12 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I hope this isn't the only iron in the fire fort Sun.

    As others have mentioned, it will ruin their good relationship with TI.

    Also, it's doubtful that special purpose RISC chips can provide enough in the price/performance arena to keep from having their market share continue to decline, as it has for the last 10 years or so.

    Low end Linux servers is a dangerously competitive business for Sun to be in, but it's a growing business and one where they have much to offer.

    Fortunately, if Sun "doesn't have a Linux strategy", Dell, the 800 lb gorilla, is still half-napping, too. Dell's support of Linux is weaker than that of rivals IBM and HP, plus their potentially missing some nice opportunities by actively ignoring non-Intel x86.

    Sun should climb on board the AMD Opteron with Linux. They are a company with the experience and credentials to create a quality piece of hardware and have the UNIX background to cover the software side, too.

    --
    "Provided by the management for your protection."
    1. Re:Sun Shine on AMD? by Jungle+guy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Have you beeen hiding on a cave? Sun is flirting with AMD, and looks like they have serious plans to port Solaris on 64 bits to AMD-64. Check out this story. It looks like the open letter from that Merryl Linch analyst is working. I also think that Sun should focus on software and complete solutions, and stop messing with processors too much.

  5. Re:This would make a ton of sense by chrysrobyn · · Score: 4, Interesting

    SUN's biggest problem is that they employ a ton of chip (second only to Intel) and system designers to design their systems.

    I see two alternatives:

    1. Through ignorance or oversight, you're not counting IBM, the largest computer company in the world. They maintain PowerPC (750 and 970 series and embedded stuff), Power (eServers and stuff) and mainframes (zSeries -- S/390, more than the riced out Unix that Sun wants to call a mainframe). Additionally, IBM designs ASICs not only for themselves, but for other companies.

    2. You truly have an insightful point in how many people are employed by Sun-- which points to how much bloat Sun has. If, in fact, you are correct, you are pointing out how many people Sun needs to cut in order to be competive with IBM, to say nothing if Intel who only maintains a few chipset ASICs, the Pentium III/IV and the new cheap one they're advertising on TV.