11/2/98 - SUN ANNOUNCES 450 MHz and 400 MHz UltraSPARC-II MICROPROCESSORS

Original Document

SUN ANNOUNCES 450 MHz and 400 MHz UltraSPARC-II MICROPROCESSORS

Processor-of-Choice for Workstations and Servers Boosts Speed by as Much as 25 Percent

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Nov. 2, 1998 - Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced the availability of samples of the 400 MHz version of the UltraSPARC^TM-II microprocessor and the plans for the 450 MHz version to be available in the Spring of 1999. The new processors are proof of Sun's commitment to its recently announced microprocessor roadmap - a roadmap taking the UltraSPARC microprocessor architecture into the next century.

Sun's ability to continually deliver higher performance processors with industry-leading bandwidth that enables higher system throughput while maintaining binary compatibility has made the UltraSPARC architecture the leading choice for the server and workstation markets. This is demonstrated in recent reports from independent market research which indicate that Sun leads the market in workstation and servers shipments. (See Sun Microsystems' announcements from October 12 and September 15)

"Sun is the leader in the workstation and server markets. Our UltraSPARC processors deliver a high level of performance, great throughput, as well as scale from one- to 64-way," said Marge Breya, vice president of marketing, Sun Microsystems, Microelectronics. "UltraSPARC is the processor-of-choice for server and workstation customers. Our recently announced microprocessor roadmap that takes the UltraSPARC architecture up to 1.5 gigahertz demonstrates our intention to continually deliver performance improvements that will keep Sun at the forefront of these markets."

Process Improvements Lead to Greater Performance

The performance boost to the 450 MHz and 400 MHz UltraSPARC-II chips is achieved by moving the design into Texas Instruments' 0.25 micron process technology.

The UltraSPARC-II microprocessor family now spans from 250 MHz to 450 MHz. An UltraSPARC-II microprocessor, running at 450 MHz with 4 Mbytes of Level 2 cache is estimated to deliver a SPECint95 rating of 19.6 and a SPECfp95 rating of 27.1.

UltraSPARC processors are the first line of chips to support the recently announced fully 64-bit Solaris^TM 7 operating environment. As a result, users don't have to wait to take full advantage of the performance, reliability and scalability delivered via the combination of a 64-bit operating system matched with a 64-bit processor.

Availability and Pricing

Samples of the 400 MHz version of the UltraSPARC-II microprocessor are available today in a 4 Mbyte Level 2 cache configuration. When available in volume, the UltraSPARC-II processor at 400 MHz is expected to sell for $4,249 in 1,000 unit quantities. Pricing for the 450 MHz version will be announced when it is available in the Spring of 1999. For further information about UltraSPARC-II processors or any other microprocessors from Sun, contact Microelectronics Sales at US (800) 681-8845 or international +1 (512) 434-1503, or visit our Web site at http://www.sun.com/microelectronics.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer^TM," has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW), to its position as a leading provider of high quality hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $10 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.

Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Solaris, HotJava, Java and "The Network Is The Computer" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Press announcements and other information about Sun Microsystems are available on the Internet via the World Wide Web using a tool such as Netscape Navigator or Sun's HotJava^TM browser. Type http://www.sun.com at the URL prompt.