ATLANTA, Sept. 18, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. announced today at NetWorld+Interop that they are working on the development of the Microsoft® Windows NT® operating system for Intel’s future 64-bit processor family, IA (Intel architecture)-64. This joint effort will result in a common 64-bit software environment for Intel’s
“Merced”
processor with broad industry support.
The combination of Windows NT and Intel’s IA
­64 processor family will provide seamless support for existing Pentium®
Pro processor (IA-32) applications and new applications optimized for IA
­
64 processors. The first implementation of the IA-64 family will be Intel’s processor, code-named Merced, available in volume during the next few years.
Customers with enterprise applications that require efficient access to extremely large databases will benefit from being able to address data of almost unlimited size. With the growing trend toward high-volume transaction and query-
­
based applications, the IA
­
64 architecture is expected to become an important technology for future growth plans in many of today’s business systems.
“Microsoft Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation have emerged as the premier operating system solution for today’s business needs,”
said Paul Maritz, group vice president of the platforms group at Microsoft Corp.
”
Our Windows NT operating system and software development environment, optimized for IA-64, will enable the industry to easily take advantage of Intel’s 64-bit family of processors. This announcement affirms our commitment to providing customers with high-performance software solutions for
IA-64. To ensure robust software support for IA-64 processors in servers and workstations, we are continuing to work with Intel, building upon the existing strong scalability and performance capability of
Windows NT.
“
”
Our announcement today represents an important milestone in the progress of Intel’s
IA-64 processor program,”
said Albert Yu, senior vice president and general manager, Intel’s microprocessor products group.
”
The Windows NT operating system, optimized for the IA-
­
64 architecture, will further extend the capabilities and performance already seen today with Windows NT and the Pentium Pro processor. Starting with Merced, IA-64 will provide new levels of performance and scalability in the server and workstation computing environments, while maintaining full compatibility with the existing base of IA-
­32 software.”
Schedules for the version of Windows NT supporting IA-64 will be synchronized with shipments of Merced processor-based systems. Microsoft and Intel will continue to work with the OEM and ISV community through existing channels to innovate exciting IA-64 solutions. Microsoft will release a preliminary copy of the Windows NT operating system Very Large Memory 64-bit Interface specification at its upcoming Professional Developers Conference.
Intel, the world’s largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of personal computer, networking and communications products. Through innovative technologies, Intel is committed to improving the Internet experience for PC consumers. Information about Intel is available from the company’s site on the World Wide Web at URL (http://www.intel.com/pressroom/) .Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corp.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
