The collaboration between AMD and Sun shines as an example of how two companies can work together to their benefit and that of their customers. When writer Lara Hata talked with Paul Read, director of outbound marketing for Sun Microsystems, Read commented on the team approach that has made this collaboration such a success.

"We realized how important we were to each other and made it a point to commit the resources required to make the initiative a success," Sun's Read said. We wanted to integrate processes all the way through the product life cycle," Read said. "We wanted to move from a supplier relationship to a strategic alliance."

That alliance saw the introduction of two AMD OpteronTM processor-based servers from Sun in 2004: the Sun FireTM V20z server in February and the Sun FireTM V40z server in July. The (Sun Fire V20 server has since been transitioned to the Sun FireTM X4100 server, which also runs on AMD Opteron processors.)

AMD on the Sun Fire V40z Server

The Sun Fire V40z server offers flexibility. You can run the SolarisTM Operating System (Solaris OS), Linux®, Microsoft® Windows®, and VMware. You can run 64-bit and 32-bit applications together. If you need to add more network devices or storage, there are seven 64-bit PCI-X slots ready for connection and built for speed. You can easily upgrade your Sun Fire V40z server from single-core processors to dual-core CPUs by swapping them out and updating BIOS, enabling you to scale without increasing complexity or your number of servers.

The Sun Fire V40z server gives you the option of using up to four dual-core processors or up to four single-core processors. Dual-core processors deliver enhanced performance because two cores are placed on each processor, enabling each CPU to process a greater number of threads -- while operating in the same power envelope as a comparable single-core processor. And HyperTransport™ technology eliminates traditional x86 CPU and memory bottlenecks, enhancing I/O performance and providing extra headroom for growth.

The Sun Fire V40z server is suited for high-end enterprise applications such as ERP and CRM, and works well for the needs of modeling and simulation.

Also attractive to customers are the potential gains in performance and product development cycles. Read believes the Sun Fire V40z Server is "a technologically superior product that can have a major impact on an enterprise."

Collaboration Success

AMD and Sun collaborate on many things: they co-sponsor and co-fund advertising, collaborate on press releases, embark on joint road shows and sales presentations, and jointly develop Web content and other materials. "The initiative is now a part of our collective DNA," Read said.

Frank Varela, AMD commercial marketing manager, said of the collaboration, "We recognized that the two companies had to break down barriers and create teams that were focused on mutual goals and challenges. Everyone comes out ahead. AMD is able to expand sales, Sun is able to produce superior products and customers receive greater value for their IT investments."

The strategic alliance was formed between Sun and AMD in November 2003. Since then the two have achieved many milestones. AMD chips on Sun servers have achieved outstanding performance in benchmarks, and many adoptions of the combined processor and server technology are found in government and industry today.

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