Sun will not be developing or releasing its UltraSPARC V chip, code-named Millennium, as planned. The Gemini processor will not go to market either. Instead, Sun will focus on a chip they are calling the Rock.

Sun released details about its Gemini chip in August 2003 at the Hot Chips conference [10803]. It was to be dual threaded and part of Sun's Throughput Computing initiative.

In addition to Rock, Sun is also working on a chip called Niagara for network-intensive applications and blade servers that is expected to hit the market in early 2006.

UltraSPARC V was to follow the UltraSPARCR IV processor, which Sun introduced in early 2004. The UltraSPARC IV provides up to two times the application throughput of the UltraSPARCR III processor. See articles [12308] for an overview of the UltraSPARC IV chip and [12268] for servers that use the chip.

According to David Yen, executive vice president of processor and network products for Sun, this move is to concentrate Sun designs on throughput computing.

"We wanted to focus all our resources on trying to expedite (throughput computing) development," Yen told IDG News Service. "We believe the new CMT (chip multithreading) processors have such great promise that we really would like to maximize the amount of resources we can throw behind them."

Yen noted that Sun's offerings of the UltraSPARCR IIIi and UltraSPARCR IIIi+ in the Gemini space are performing well in that market. In the Millennium space, the current UltraSPARC IV to be followed by the UltraSPARCR IV+ are suitably positioned. "...then with the upcoming Rock and Niagara systems," Yen continued, "we actually believe that this is probably a better road map. That's why we made the decision."

Regarding the future of UltraSPARC processors, Yen asserted that throughput computing processors are SPARC-compatible although Sun's use of the UltraSPARC name has not be decided.

"...we're doing these newer, throughput computing SPARC processors," Yen said. "When one of them comes out, we may label that one as UltraSPARC V to continue the sequencing, if that's still the way we want to name them."

In response to a question regarding the risk of concentrating heavily on throughput computing, Yen surmised, "Every time a new innovation is proposed, it's always risky because it's different and initially it's unproven. But that's the kind of a life that people in high-tech live. The important thing is, do you believe that you're right, and are you good enough to deserve that kind of self-confidence? And we believe we are." [...read more...]

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