The current OpenPower 720 is available in one-, two-, and four-way configurations, but is essentially based on the same four-way rack or tower chassis. A two-way model has been mooted since September and will be delivered early in 2005.
We announced the OpenPower box really to go after the sweet spot we see in the market, which is the two-way to four-way area, said Rohan Fernando, IBM EMEA product and strategy manager. Early next year we’ll be looking at announcing a two-way box to bring down the entry-level price point even lower.
Details of the price and configuration are not yet available, but it is clear IBM sees a bright future for Linux on its Power architecture. With the combination of the Power5 chip and Linux we can offer advantages that are not available on other platforms, said Fernando, citing examples such as first failure data capture for problem analysis, and dynamic processor deallocation for the automated correction of hardware errors.
Fernando also said there is growing ISV support for Linux on Power, stating that as of July 4, 2004 there were 646 applications available for the platform. Since then they’ve been coming on board at a rate of 50 a month, he said.
