Before IBM Corp’s Power Parallel Systems division delivers SP parallel machines using the forthcoming dual-chip Power3 processor unit, it will be offering symmetric multiprocessing nodes using the 64-bit PowerPC 620s due in future RS/6000 systems. The PowerPC 620 SP nodes, not expected until late 1995 or early 1996, will follow the current Power2-based SP2 line and will be designated accordingly, but it is unclear whether they will exploit the processor’s 64-bit design in initial configurations. If there is a 64-bit operating system environment to support the architecture, IBM says SP2 users will be able to recompile for 64-bit working if required, but these machines will in any case support 32-bit software too; PowerParallels run AIX releases from the RS/6000 division on top of their own parallelised system software. Quite what shape or form the dual-chip Power3 – working title PowerPC 630 – and its system-level incarnations will eventually take, is still too early to call, says Ben Barnes, assistant general manager of the Somers, New York-based unit. Meanwhile, although Hitachi Data Systems Inc’s operating companies do not yet appear to have made clear decisions about carrying Hitachi-badged PowerParallels into their regions, IBM has already built OEM quantities of sales to the Japanese company into its sales forecasts. IBM cites the May agreement with Hitachi Ltd that contains a clear set of PowerParallel volumes that Hitachi must reach to fulfil part of the wide-ranging mainframe and PowerPC agreement. IBM will ship initial SP2 units to Japan by the end of the year where they will be used for internal Hitachi training and testing, before OEM units start to move through Hitachi channels in 1995.
