Intel, HP fire back after Oracle hints at death of Itanium
updated 09:50 pm EDT, Wed March 23, 2011
Oracle defends its original statements, blasts HP
What started as a seemingly minor report regarding the possible end of life for Intel's Itanium server chips, Intel and HP have quickly denied the assertions and Oracle has accused HP of duping its customers. Intel CEO Paul Otellini chimed in to reaffirm the company's commitment to the platform, while promising at least two more generations.
“Intel’s work on Intel Itanium processors and platforms continues unabated with multiple generations of chips currently in development and on schedule,” Otellini said in a statement. “We remain firmly committed to delivering a competitive, multi-generational roadmap for HP-UX and other operating system customers that run the Itanium architecture.”
To add credibility to its promises, the company provided code names and general expectations for the upcoming releases. Poulson chips will be the first to arrive, with eight-core processors based on 32nm architecture that promises to double the performance from existing Tukwila chips. The code-name Kittson is said to represent the successor, though further details remain unknown.
HP issued a statement that went even further, suggesting the company has a roadmap for Itanium-based systems that extends for more than 10 years. The company also reaffirmed its commitment to continue support and development for existing and future servers based on the technology.
"Oracle continues to show a pattern of anti-customer behavior as they move to shore up their failing Sun server business,” said HP server executive Dave Donatelli. "We are shocked that Oracle would put enterprises and governments at risk while costing them hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity in a shameless gambit to limit fair competition.”
Oracle quickly issued its own statement, posted by All Things Digital, blasting HP and accusing the company of deceiving its customers. The comments suggest that HP is "well aware" that Intel has already committed to replacing Itanium with X86 chips, which include the more popular Xeon lineup for servers.
"Oracle has an obligation to give our customers adequate advanced notice when Oracle discontinues development on any software product or hardware platform so our customers have the information they need to plan and manage their businesses," the statement reads.
