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