Itanium puts Sun off its chips

Itanium's chip puts Sun in a vinegar mood

Sun Microsystems is gearing up for a 64bit battle as Intel releases its rival Itanium chip.

The Itanium processor, ready for launch today after a three year delay, threatens to topple Sun's stronghold on the market, offering an alternative to its proprietary 64bit platform.

The Itanium is Intel's first 64bit processor, designed for powering corporate servers.

IBM, HP, Dell, Compaq and Microsoft are all due to announce details of Itanium products this week.