vnunet.com analysis: Experts dismiss Itanium funding claims

Analysts have questioned the apparent funding of the Itanium platform

The Itanium Solutions Alliance has cited recent investments from its member companies as proof that the platform is not dead, but industry experts have told vnunet.com that the claims are just hype.

The alliance boasted at a media event in San Francisco on Thursday that its combined membership will be investing $10bn over the next five years to develop and promote the Itanium processor.

Comprising Intel and Itanium system vendors such as HP, NEC, Fujitsu and SGI, the group talked up the news as a "substantial financial announcement".

But Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at Insight 64, claimed that the figure is simply the aggregate of all the funds that the alliance's nine member companies are already spending.

"Essentially they added up all the money that these companies are spending on developing and marketing Itanium solutions. That adds up to $10bn. They are just making clear that a lot of money is going into Itanium," Brookwood told vnunet.com.

"Part of their problem is that people have assumed that Itanium is dead; that it has no momentum and we're just waiting for the body to cool off before we bury it.

"[The alliance members] are trying to say that this is not the right conclusion, and that there is a lot going on."

Illuminata analyst Jonathan Eunice pointed out in a blog posting that the alliance failed to indicate whether the $10bn is "new money " or existing funds, and described it as a strategy of "let's pick a big number and pledge it". 

But Eunice applauded the move as it shows that the alliance is actually doing something concrete.

The programme will see vendors working together on certifying tools and software for Itanium systems, which could increase the platform's appeal to users.

"These OEMs and system suppliers are co-ordinating a little bit better so that if an ISV develops a solution that works on HP Itanium on Linux, it's easier to certify it on SGI Itanium on Linux," said Brookwood.