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Fujitsu, MS To Deliver Mainframe Capability On Open Platforms

Fujitsu Ltd Chairman Naoyuki Akikusa and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced a significant expansion of the companies' long-standing global enterprise relationship. The companies entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with respect to their companies' commitment to collaborate in the development of Fujitsu's next-generation Intel Itanium Processor Family-based server for Windows Server 2003 and next-generation Windows Server (code-named "Longhorn" Server), as well as in platform integration, services and mission-critical customer support. This expanded collaboration is designed to help enterprise customers obtain optimal levels of reliability, scalability, performance and value for mission-critical IT environments.

Under the expanded global alliance, Fujitsu and Microsoft will combine Fujitsu's mainframe expertise and systems with Microsoft's latest Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft .NET software to enable customers to implement flexible, trustworthy enterprise infrastructure and applications that support business objectives and processes in a highly efficient and effective way. Specifically, Fujitsu and Microsoft will do the following:

  • Collaborate in the development of Fujitsu's next-generation Intel Itanium-based server running and optimized for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and "Longhorn" Server.
  • Integrate Microsoft .NET software into Fujitsu's TRIOLE, a strategy to deliver flexible, adaptable IT infrastructures that directly support a changing business environment.
  • Reinforce support for customers running Windows operating system in mission-critical environments by establishing a joint engineering support team in Redmond, Wash.
  • Collaborate in software development to improve the interoperability between Microsoft and Fujitsu software and to extend the capabilities of Fujitsu's software tools designed to help customers move mission-critical infrastructure and applications to Microsoft .NET software.

The companies will collaborate on a worldwide basis, targeting revenues of $7.2 billion in 2007 from Fujitsu sales of hardware systems, software products and services for platform businesses based on Microsoft technologies.

"Fujitsu is committed to delivering total end-to-end solutions for mission-critical systems to our enterprise customers worldwide," said Akikusa. "By combining Fujitsu's platform products and integration expertise with existing Windows assets, this expanded collaboration makes it possible to offer Windows-based systems with the most advanced level of mainframe-class reliability to customers who demand maximum system availability for their mission-critical systems. In addition, the next generation of products developed by both companies will significantly reduce operating expenses, ensuring the long-term viability of customers' investments."

"We are very pleased to expand the depth and scope of our relationship with Fujitsu, a worldwide technology and services leader," Ballmer said. "Fujitsu's heritage and strengths in mainframe computing, combined with Microsoft's latest Windows Server System software, can enable enterprise customers to optimize the strategic value of their IT investments on the Windows platform and better execute on mission-critical objectives."

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