Microsoft Enlists SGI In Supercomputing Software Push

SGI on Thursday said it would offer Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 on its Altix XE systems, which run on quad-core and dual-core Intel Xeon processors. The systems are scheduled to ship in March.

Dennis McKenna, chief executive of SGI, said in a statement that the company believes systems running Microsoft software on Xeon processors, which tend to be less expensive then other configurations, would "make HPC accessible to a much broader market at a lower cost of ownership."

SGI has a growth strategy targeting areas such as media data management, industrial design in the automotive and aerospace sectors, health care, and government and academic markets. The company, formerly known as Silicon Graphics, came out of bankruptcy in October. SGI started as a maker of ultrapowerful workstations but now sells LAN servers with Intel processors, blade servers, and storage.

The Windows Computer Cluster Server will be available on all of SGI's Altix XE line of servers and clusters. Pricing is expected to start at about $3,500.