Perhaps as a result of its PowerPC plans being left somewhat in disarray by IBM Corp, Compagnie des Machines Bull SA will later this week announce a brand new relationship with Intel Corp giving it access to the forthcoming Merced chip. Merced is Intel’s implementation of the 64-bit IA-64 instruction set architecture which is being co-developed with Hewlett-Packard Co, expected some time around 1999/2000. The announcement raises an obvious question mark over Bull’s existing joint development agreement with NEC Corp – which holds a 17% stake in Bull – an agreement expected to herald a line of NT boxes this autumn. In the short term our Windows NT strategy is NEC-sourced systems, says Bull. In the longer term it’s Merced. It’s not yet clear whether NEC is out of the picture altogether when Bull begins work on its Merced line. One of the big advantages of this deal with Intel, according to Bull, is access to the technical details of the Merced chipset before its official launch. Bull says it will use Merced to take Windows NT into the enterprise, concentrating on adding value to the platform – for instance porting its Sagister and systems management software to it. Bull will also in a couple of weeks announce a re-organization of its Unix administration in order to make more room for its Windows NT operation. There aren’t many details yet, but the effervescent Didier Breton, currently vice president of Open Systems, becomes president of a new Open Systems group which will cover Unix and Windows NT. Armand Malka, currently vice president of Open Enterprise Systems will head up the Unix side of the revised Open Systems Group. Is Bull worried that pushing Windows NT will bastardize its Unix line? Not really, because in the short term they’re different markets, the company explains.
