Fujitsu Limited today announced the release of a new high-end series in its PRIMEQUEST server line, the PRIMEQUEST 500 series (three models) servers with Dual-core Intel Itanium 2 processors, providing performance improvements up to 2.5 times that of previous models. Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST servers are built to meet the highest demands for reliability and availability in the data center operations. The PRIMEQUEST 500 series servers deliver the most advanced virtualization capabilities available along with extended system scalability for Linux and Windows environments. Combining the latest Dual-Core Intel processor with Fujitsu cutting-edge architecture and design, the PRIMEQUEST 500 series servers are the ideal choice for enterprises that require the economic benefits and flexibility of industry-standard solutions without compromising business continuity. The PRIMEQUEST server series uses high-performance 64-bit Intel Itanium 2 processors with a Fujitsu-developed chipset that maximizes reliability and scalability of the processor. With Fujitsu unique dual synchronous system architecture, the PRIMEQUEST servers combine the economy of open-standard systems with the reliability of a mainframe. "Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST 500 series meets the demands of the most sophisticated data centers by offering superior scalability and performance in a compact, energy-efficient design," said Akira Yamanaka, corporate vice president of Fujitsu Limited. "These new servers are a cornerstone of our TRIOLE strategy, where servers, storage, networks and middleware are united to provide a dynamic and flexible IT environment." Since their worldwide launch in April 2005, the PRIMEQUEST servers have been deployed in customer sites around the world, for use on mission-critical systems as large-scale database systems, and as legacy modernization, providing customers with high reliability, high scalability and enabling them to reduce total cost of ownership. Among the many customers who have deployed PRIMEQUEST servers are the following; Large-Scale Database Systems - Banco Popular (Spain) - Circle K Sunkus Co., Ltd. (Japan) / Information analysis system - Coput (Spain) - SHIBAURA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (Japan) / Consolidated database system - Sung-Ae Hospital (Korea) / Medical information, electronic medical record system - TO SOLUTIONS CO., LTD. (Japan) / Server consolidation for Q.P. Group - Vodafone K.K. (Japan) / Sales support system Legacy Modernization - NTT DATA Corporation (Japan) / Mission-critical open system (PORTOMICS®) verification server - THE SHIGA BANK, LTD. (Japan) / Strategic Management System For Next Generation - THE SHIZUOKA BANK, LTD. (Japan) / Financial hub system - TKC Corporation (Japan) / Platform of ASP Service for Municipalities - Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc. (Japan) / TSE derivatives trading system - TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (Japan) ERP Platform - KONICA MINOLTA HOLDINGS, INC. (Japan) / SAP system for Konica Minolta Group High Performance Computing - FDK CORPORATION (Japan) / CAE system - National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Japan) / Main computer system - Research Center for Computational Science, Okazaki Research Facilities, National Institutes of Natural Sciences (Japan) / Super high performance molecular simulator - TOYOTA CENTRAL R&D LABS., INC. (Japan) / CAE system The new PRIMEQUEST 500 series servers are ideal for mission-critical applications that demand superior performance, reliability, scalability, flexibility and optimum resource usage. Typical application deployments for PRIMEQUEST servers include large-scale database and online transaction processing environments, legacy modernization, ERP platform, and database/server consolidation. Offering up to 64 processor cores accessing 2TB of uniform main memory in a maximum of 16 partitions, Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST is at the forefront of high-end systems capable of hosting business-critical operations. The PRIMEQUEST 500 servers integrate the Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2 processors with a number of architectural design features from Fujitsu to offer a unique combination of power and flexibility. Coupling the advanced eXtended PARtitioning (XPAR) capabilities of the PRIMEQUEST servers with the Itanium 2 virtualization technology offers customers the most advanced virtualization capabilities on the market. Not only can system resources such as CPU and memory be partitioned, but I/O Units can also be individually partitioned to optimize resource allocations on a per-partition basis. Augmenting the PRIMEQUEST physical partitioning capabilities, future enhancements built upon the Intel virtualization technology will host virtual partitions, offering a rich multitude of partitioning options. Furthermore, partitions can be defined with system mirror mode, offering industry-leading fault immunity in the memory and cross-bar implementation. In addition, for customers who have purchased the PRIMEQUEST 400 series, Fujitsu offers an upgrade program to enable customers to easily transition from PRIMEQUEST 400 to 500 series servers. "Together Fujitsu and Intel are providing state-of-the-art design and system architecture to give enterprises the flexibility and freedom they desire for their mission-critical applications," commented Thomas Kilroy, Vice President General Manager, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel Corporation. "With more than double the performance of previous generation Intel Itanium 2 processor-based servers, mainframe-class RAS features, and improved energy efficiency, the new dual-core Intel Itanium 2 processor-based PRIMEQUEST servers are ideal for application consolidation in mission-critical data centers." The PRIMEQUEST 500 servers will be available globally in September, 2006. Fujitsu continues its collaboration with leading enterprise vendors of Linux systems Red Hat and Novell, and with the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL), contributing to the hardening of the open operating system for business-critical deployments. Under the global alliance partnership, Fujitsu is also working closely with Microsoft to deliver business-critical environments for Windows applications standards. Furthermore, Fujitsu is working with its partners and the Itanium Solutions Alliance (ISA) to expand the eco-system for the Linux/Windows enterprise. The PRIMEQUEST servers extend the Fujitsu server portfolio that includes PRIMEPOWER servers based on the SPARC64 V processor running the Solaris operating system and PRIMERGY PC servers. Together they provide a comprehensive server portfolio that satisfies different service level requirements for maximum availability and scalability. The new PRIMEQUEST servers are ideal for customers extending their existing mission-critical infrastructures with open-source Linux, Windows and Itanium technologies. The PRIMEQUEST server line is offered as part of the Fujitsu TRIOLE strategy for optimized IT, which unites servers, storage, networks and middleware to provide a dynamic and flexible customer IT environment, aimed to increase business continuity, agility and efficiency. Fujitsu will continue to provide and expand TRIOLE templates that include the PRIMEQUEST servers, enabling customers to introduce 64-bit mission-critical Linux and Windows technology into the data center. Partner Quotes: EDS Corporation Tom Egan, VP Global Service Delivery The new PRIMEQUEST servers are ideal for mission-critical applications which demand high availability, robust performance, enhanced flexibility and optimum resource usage. The next-generation of PRIMEQUEST servers with the highly-anticipated Intel Itanium 2 processor will deliver an advanced system for large-scale database and online transaction processing environments, legacy modernization, and database/server consolidation. Microsoft Corporation Bill Laing, general manager, Windows Server Division We are excited that the PRIMEQUEST 500 series will offer our mutual customers increased performance and reliability for mission critical database and line of business applications. As customers migrate from mainframes to open systems, Microsoft and Fujitsu are working together to provide enterprise customers with an ideal server solution, ensuring high availability and business continuity. Novell, Inc. Roger Levy, vice president and general manager of Open Platforms Solutions Novell is excited about the launch of new Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST 500 series servers. Designed to handle customers' mission-critical workloads in the data center, our SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 on new Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST servers will offer an open, scalable, high-performance data center solution that comes with application security, virtualization and integrated systems management. Red Hat, Inc. Tim Yeaton, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and General Manager of Enterprise Products Red Hat and Fujitsu have collaborated closely to optimize Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Fujitsu servers and to provide world-class support and services to enterprise customers for years. We believe that the combination of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and the new Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST 500 series servers will deliver reliable, secure, high-performance Linux solutions built on the benefits of open source, and will satisfy mission-critical computing needs to the enterprise. Oracle Corporation Judson Althoff, vice president, Platform Alliances The combination of Oracle and the Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST servers let companies operate cost-effectively by taking advantage of industry-standard solutions while achieving high performance and reliability. Oracle believes this new PRIMEQUEST server will enhance reliability, availability and scalability, and will expand with Oracle the customers' choice of business critical IT deployment. Symantec Corporation Rob Soderbery, senior vice president, Data Center Management Group Symantec is pleased to support the announcement of Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST 500 series servers. Symantec's Datacenter Foundation solutions combined with PRIMEQUEST server hardware delivers high availability and high performance while increasing the reliability of mission critical applications. Together, Fujitsu and Symantec can help enterprise customers reduce data center complexity and total cost of ownership.