SAN FRANCISCO, -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. delivered the results of a nearly $500 million per quarter R&D investment in network computing during its Network Computing 03, Q1 launch. The announcement included new elements of Sun's network computing platform, including the new Sun Fire(TM) Blade Server Platform and multiple enterprise-class servers at value price points. The Company also delivered on its N1 strategy with the first N1 software release, the N1 provisioning Server 3.0, Blades Edition. "Today we are changing the shape of network computing," said Scott McNealy, chairman, president and CEO of Sun Microsystems. "Customers tell us that they must have lower costs -- of acquisition and of operation. By changing the way we develop, go to market and support our products to a single unified view of the network computing platform, we have put Sun on a course to deliver an increasingly responsive and efficient infrastructure that will deliver a higher quality of service at lower cost." Sun's announcements demonstrate swift execution on the Company's N1 vision of a multi-platform, multi-vendor operating environment for network computing. N1 virtualizes widely distributed network computing resources and elements (servers, storage, software and networking), and enables them to dynamically operate as a single, powerful network computer. Sun unveiled: * Sun Fire Blade Platform -- the industry's first multi-architecture blade platform with Linux and Solaris(TM) operating environments and SPARC(R) and x86 blade architectures, SSL Proxy and Content Load Balancing specialty blades, integrated switches and system controllers, N1 software, Sun(TM) Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) middleware and Sun ONE Grid Engine software and optimized NAS storage. * N1 Provisioning Server 3.0 Blades Edition -- the first blade virtualization solution, allowing customers to rapidly design, configure, provision and scale blade-based server farms. * Sun N1 Services -- helping customers architect, implement and manage blades and full N1 data center environments. * Sun StorEdge(TM) 3310 NAS -- ultra-dense storage optimized for blade and edge computing environments. * Sun Fire V1280 system -- rack-optimized 12-way system for enterprise network computing at entry prices. * Sun Fire V880z visualization system -- lowering the cost of collaborative workgroup visualization while delivering new levels of graphics performance and visual quality. * Sun StorEdge 3510 FC Array -- entry-level storage with enterprise features, industry-leading density and value pricing. * Improved Sun Fire 12K and Sun Fire 15K systems -- Sun's leading data center systems with greater performance at lower prices. * UltraSPARC(R) III Cu 1.2Ghz -- debuting in the Sun Fire 4800 -- 6800 and Sun Fire 12K and Sun Fire 15K systems; faster, cooler and less expensive than the previous UltraSPARC III processor. * Sun Security Reference Architecture and Sun Mobile Location Services Reference Architecture -- offering customers fully tested and configured end-to-end solutions encompassing new Network Computing 03 products and services. * Expanded Sun Services -- a new array of Sun Services to manage network computing infrastructures over their complete lifecycles. * New Partner Programs -- including Blade Solutions Community with more than 20 partner applications tested, tuned and available for the Sun Fire Blade Platform and a Blade Platform Development Kit for independent hardware vendors.