---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash Independent Vendors and Sun Expand Base of New SPARC Technologies SunFLASH Vol 35 #30 November 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a press announcement from SPARC International. -johnj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPARC International Adrienne Bachleda (415) 321- 8699 x238 tm Over a Dozen New SPARC Systems Coming to Market MENLO PARK, Calif. -- October 15, 1991 -- SPARC International reported today that the SPARC-Compatible systems market is experiencing an explosion of new hardware technology that will be used in more than a dozen SPARC systems products to be announced by the end of October. Many of these new systems will be demonstrated at the COMDEX and UNIX Expo trade shows later this month. Vendors supplying new independently developed technologies include Fujitsu Microelectronics, Tera Microsystems and Weitek Corporation. Fujitsu announced its 33-MHz and 40-MHz SPARC microprocessors and completion chip sets in May, 1991 and expects six to ten of its customers to bring products to market by year-end. Weitek and Tera Microsystems announced September 24 that they have combined efforts to provide a complete SPARCstation 2-class chip set, and expect a comparable number of customers to announce product in the same time frame. Sun Announces Licensing of Competitive Hardware Technology As part of this SPARC International press release, Sun Microsystems, originator of the SPARC Architecture, is announcing today special licensing relationships with three SPARC chip vendors, Fujitsu Microelectronics, LSI Logic and Tera Microsystems. Under the agreements, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) will authorize the three companies to resell its 40-MHz SPARC logic chip set and SPARCstation 2 board design. Sun will also license its GX graphics accelerator chip and board design to these same vendors. This arrangement will allow the licensees, Fujitsu Microelectronics, LSI Logic and Tera Microsystems to market and sell kits including these chips and board designs to SPARC-Compa- tible system vendors. The system vendors, in turn, will use these kits to develop and deliver systems compatible with the 40-MHz SPARCstation 2. Separately, SMCC will make the GX board available for purchase by SPARC system vendors. According to Charlie Simmons, director of strategy and business develop ment for SMCC, "We are making these technologies available to enrich the base of competitive hardware technologies available to SPARC system suppliers. Our goal is to support the development of the SPARC Compatible systems market." As a further step to enable the SPARC Compatible systems market, SMCC, in cooperation with Sun's operating system subsidiary SunSoft, has authorized Sony Corporation, its supplier of CD-ROM drives, to openly sell the drives to all SPARC-Compatible systems vendors. SPARC systems using both the Solaris operating system and Sony's CD-ROM drives now have the capability of using software distributed on CD-ROM. This new technology is SunSoft's preferred distribution media, and represents the most powerful method available for achieving software distribution efficiencies, reducing overall computing costs and improving media capacity, reliability and durability. Robert W. Duncan, chairman and CEO of SPARC International, added, "Sun's continued licensing of core SPARC technologies, and the substantial in- vestment in SPARC technology by chip vendors, allows systems manufacturers to concentrate resources on developing and supporting independent distribution channels. This is clearly the most important next step in the development of the SPARC-Compatible systems market." Additional SPARC Hardware Technologies Coming On Line Beyond the products mentioned so far, several other SPARC hardware technologies have recently been announced or are being previewed. Cypress Semiconductor announced on September 30 its single and multiprocessing SPARCore modules, used first in SMCC's new line of multiprocessing servers announced on the same day. Texas Instruments released details of its SuperSPARC superscalar micro processor at the Hot Chips Conference in Palo Alto, California August 26th. Texas Instruments intends to provide further details in a second SuperSPARC technology disclosure at the Microprocessor Forum, November 6-7, in Burlingame, California. Further Information SPARC Architecture Manual, Version 8 is available through SPARC International aswell as through Prentice Hall and its authorized book stores. Contact SPARC International at (415) 321-8692 for order and delivery details, or Prentice Hall at (201) 767-5937. Government customers can call (201) 767-5994; corporate customers (bulk orders) should write to Special Sales at Prentice Hall, 113 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. The SPARC International member price for the manual is $22.00 (U.S.); the non-member price and Pren tice Hall price is $37.00 (U.S.) Complete information on all the products and technologies described in this release is available from SPARC International or other mentioned suppliers. See attached Contact Sheet. About SPARC International SPARC International, located in Menlo Park, California, was founded in February 1989 as an independent, not-for-profit corporation chartered with directing the evolution of the SPARC microprocessor architecture (developed by Sun Microsystems), developing the market for SPARC Compliant products, establishing and evolving SPARC Compliance Definitions (SCDs), and providing compliance and migration tools and testing services to software developers, chipmanufacturers, add-in/add-on hardware suppliers, and systems suppliers. SPARC International is located at 535 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California, 94025. Phone: (415) 321-8692; FAX: (415) 321-8015; E-mail: info@sparc.com. ### SPARC is a registered trademark of SPARC International. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. SPARC Compatible is a trademark of SPARC International. SPARCstation is a trademark of SPARC International, licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems. SPARCore is a trademark of SPARC International, licensed exclusively to Cypress Semiconductor. SuperSPARC is a trademark of SPARC International, licensed exclusively to Texas Instruments. Solaris is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc., licensed to SunSoft, Inc. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu and paris.cs.miami.edu. All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.