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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / SEPTEMBER 29, 2003: VOL. 2 NO. 39
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Breaking News - Operating Systems
& Middleware:
Microsoft Announces Beta Version
Of Windows XP 64-Bit Edition
Microsoft Corp announced the beta availability of a native 64-bit version
of
its Windows XP operating system designed to support 64-Bit Extended Systems,
including platforms based on AMD64 technology from AMD. Microsoft made the
announcement at AMD's launch of the AMD Athlon 64 processor in San Francisco.
The updated 64-bit operating system, Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit
Extended Systems, which will run natively on AMD Athlon 64 processor-powered
desktops and AMD Opteron processor-powered workstations, provides the superior
performance needed by consumers and business customers for the next generation
of high-performance desktop computing, including gaming, digital content
creation and video editing.
A key benefit of the updated operating system is the Microsoft Windows on
Windows 64 (WOW64) technology, which will enable customers who currently have
Windows XP-compatible 32-bit applications to run those applications on the
64-bit operating system. The WOW64 architecture takes advantage of the AMD64
architecture to enable compatibility with 32-bit applications without a loss
of performance in nearly all cases, helping protect customers' current and
future technology investments.
"We've heard from our customers that, until now, the inability to
efficiently
run 32-bit applications on 64-bit systems has been a major barrier to
investing in 64-bit technologies," said Chris Jones, corporate vice president
for the Windows Client Division at Microsoft. "With the combination of Windows
XP and the new AMD64 processors, customers can be assured of having all the
computing power and memory they need, now and into the future, while still
being able to run their current applications."
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems is designed for use
on
high-performance PCs. This means new customers will be able to extend beyond
the 4-gigabyte physical memory limit of 32-bit computing. The unprecedented
power of this new Windows platform is expected to lead to an exciting future
of cinematic computing PC experiences, especially in the areas of advanced
gaming, digital content creation and video editing. Gamers will enjoy a new
level of realism, while digital media enthusiasts will be able to create
content of a quality normally achievable only by professionals.
"Windows XP and AMD64 hold the promise of bringing 64-bit computing to a
whole
new set of computer users, delivering immersive, cinema-quality user
experiences for gaming and working with digital media," said Dirk Meyer,
senior vice president of the Computation Products Group at AMD. "AMD and
Microsoft have worked together to help ensure customers will be able to run
both 32-bit and 64-bit applications on a single platform. They are able to
invest in the future now."
The Windows and AMD64 platform is expected to increase the efficiency of
many
operations, including engineering and scientific projects, financial services,
online transaction processing, data warehousing and computer-aided design. The
critical architectural flexibility that allows customers to run their current
32-bit applications on Windows XP 64-Bit Edition also will allow those
customers to seamlessly upgrade to 64-bit versions of their applications as
they become available.
This version of Windows XP 64-Bit Edition is the latest in Microsoft's
continuing efforts to deliver industry-leading innovation at an excellent
price-to-performance ratio. Microsoft's ongoing 64-bit development work and
its collaboration with industry-leading semiconductor manufacturers prove its
commitment to delivering high-performance, scalable operating systems and
innovative products.
The beta version of Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems
is
available to MSDN subscribers, and a final release is expected to be available
in the first half of 2004. Windows Server 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems
also is available in beta with final release expected in the first half of
2004.
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