HP, Intel eye RP for new processor

Hewlett-Packard and Intel are eyeing the fast growing Philippine telecommunications market for a recently developed computing technology that promises to make the managing of millions of text messages being processed everyday simpler and faster.

HP Philippines president and general manager Raymund del Val, during launch of the Itanium processor family, said telecommunications companies, automotive companies, service providers, large research companies, life sciences, and the business intelligence market are but some of the industries that will benefit immensely from the new Intel Itanium processor which is the first in a family of 64-bit processors from Intel.

HP and Intel co-developed the Itanium processor which enables a broad choice of platforms and applications for high-end, 64-bit servers and workstations (as against the present 32-bit) at significantly lower costs than proprietary offerings. The Itanium processor family supports four operating systems – Windows XP, Linux, HP-UX, and IBM’s AIX-5L and hundreds of software applications throughout the rest of the year.

Intel expects around 25 computer manufacturers to market more than 35 Itanium-based system models throughout the year.

But how are Philippine businesses expected to benefit from the Itanium processor?

Del Val explained that in the automotive industry for instance, companies can do more iterations in their computer simulation of the vehicle design using this processor. "The more extensive the graphics are, the more you need a faster and more pervasive processor," he said.

In the case of the telecommunications industry, he explained that since the companies process millions of text messages (short messaging service), they will then opt for a simpler, faster, and open system.

Del Val also pointed out that the Itanium processor family will give businesses the increased ability to optimize performance and improve productivity significantly.

Intel Microelectronics Phils. Inc. country manager Ricardo Banaag said they expect a huge market in the Philippines, especially since the volume of e-commerce transactions is increasing and as companies increase the volume of data that they handle.

Banaag said the introduction of Itanium-based servers marks a new chapter in enterprise-class computing and establishes a solid foundation to deliver the performance, innovation, and price essential to businesses for many years to come.