Sybase readies high-end database

The software company and Hewlett-Packard are joining forces to develop a 64-bit version of Sybase's database software.

Martin LaMonica Former Staff writer, CNET News

Martin LaMonica is a senior writer covering green tech and cutting-edge technologies. He joined CNET in 2002 to cover enterprise IT and Web development and was previously executive editor of IT publication InfoWorld.

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Martin LaMonica

Dec. 17, 2002 5:29 a.m. PT

Sybase and Hewlett-Packard said Monday that they would jointly develop a version of Sybase's Adapter Server Enterprise database software for HP's Itanium 2 servers.

The company's Itanium 2-optimized database, which is slated for completion some time in 2003, will run on the HP-UX Unix operating system and Red Hat Linux. Intel's Itanium 2 chip is a 64-bit processor and is most suited for computer-intensive applications that store large amounts of data in a server's memory.

Sybase executives said demand for the 64-bit version of Adaptive Server Enterprise is coming primarily from its clients in the financial industry and from makers of high-tech equipment.

The software company is also considering whether to modify its database server for Advanced Micro Devices' 64-bit Opteron processor, but has not announced definite plans, executives said.

Sybase joins other database makers, such as Oracle, Microsoft and IBM, that have voiced plans to build versions of their databases for the Itanium 2.