New RISC System/6000 Computers Offer Industry-Leading Performance

Graphics Capability and New Levels of SMP Scalability

High-Performance PowerPC 604 Debuts in IBM Systems

Somers, N.Y. -- June 19, 1995 -- (Business Wire) -- IBM today provided customers with industry-leading performance, graphics and price/performance with the announcement of powerful, new RISC System/6000(a) (RS/6000(a)) workstations and servers, including six models based on the high-performance PowerPC(a) 604 microprocessor.

The new workstations include the RS/6000 43P Series, three low-end systems that give IBM up to an 89 percent SPECint92(d) performance lead over Hewlett-Packard's(b) HP 9000 Model 712/80(b) workstation. Two new midrange workstations, the RS/6000 Models 42W and 42T, provide customers with the greatest range of graphics options in the RS/6000 family, including new industry-leading, midrange 3D adapters.

On the server side, IBM introduced a new entry compact server, the Model C20, that can be used as a small enterprise server, a departmental or PC LAN server, as well as a distributed applications server. IBM also introduced six- and eight-way versions of its powerful symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) servers, giving customers industry-leading performance capability for the most demanding commercial applications. An eight-way RS/6000 Model J30, for example, exceeds the commercial performance of the eight-way HP 9000 Corporate Business Server(b) Model T500 -- at a 75 percent lower purchase price for a comparably equipped system. IBM is also offering twice the memory and disk on its SMP servers at the same base price.

"Today, the RS/6000 is delivering cutting-edge graphics capabilities and raw performance at affordable prices, allowing our customers to get their work done more quickly than ever, whether they are using high-end graphics or mainstream office applications," said Irving Wladawsky-Berger, general manager, IBM RISC System/6000 Division. "Users can also be sure that as their requirements evolve, the new systems can be expanded to meet those needs."

With this announcement, IBM is demonstrating its continued commitment to the technical workstation and commercial server markets. IBM also announced improvements for its UNIX(c)-based, high-performance parallel processing computer, and renamed it the RS/6000 Scalable POWERparallel System(a) (RS/6000 SP).

All of the new workstations and servers run AIX(a) Version 4.1.3, the latest release of IBM's powerful UNIX operating system, which now scales from entry-level clients to the SP systems. AIX also exploits today's most innovative technology, including the Open Software Foundation's(b) Distributed Computing Environment(b) and Taligent's(b) CommonPoint(b) object frameworks.

Note to Editors: For more information, including an unabridged copy of this press release, please contact Ed Trapasso, IBM media relations, 914/766-3621, or Scott Friedman, TSI for IBM, at 212/696-2000 ext. 200.

Additional information on the RS/6000 and related products is available through the World Wide Web on the Internet. To access the IBM Home Page, open the following URL: http://www.ibm.com. To access the IBM RS/6000 Home Page, open the following URL: http://www@austin.ibm.com.

The IBM Fax Information Service allows you to receive facsimiles of prior IBM product press releases. Simply dial 1-800/IBM-4FAX and enter "99" at the voice menu.

(a) Indicates trademark or registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

(b) Indicates trademark or registered trademark of the respective company.

(c) UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd. IBM AIX Version 3.2.5 and IBM AIX Version 4.1 for the RS/6000 family of systems are branded X/Open UNIX 93.

(d) SPECint92 and SPECfp92 are trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Council, a non-profit organization whose mission is to establish, maintain and endorse a standardized set of relevant application-oriented benchmarks that can be applied to the newest generation of high-performance computers.

CONTACT: IBM Ed Trapasso, 914/766-3621 Internet: trapasso@vnet.ibm.com or TSI for IBM Scott Friedman, 212/696-2000 ext. 200 Internet: sfriedman@tsipr.com 09:33 ET JUN 19, 1995