HP Superdome Server Achieves Record Benchmark Results with New PA-8700

PALO ALTO, CA -- HP (NYSE:HPQ) today introduced its new PA-8700+ processor in the high-end HP Superdome server, providing customers with performance enhancements and improved investment protection. The server also achieved record-breaking 1 terabyte performance and price/performance ratings on the TPC-H data warehousing benchmark, outstanding Java application performance on the SPECjbb2000 benchmark, and industry-leading price/performance on the TPC-C benchmark. In addition, HP has displaced IBM to become the No. 1 server supplier on the TOP500 Supercomputer Sites list based on the Linpack technical benchmark. Led by the HP Superdome server and HP AlphaServer systems, HP has more sites in the TOP500 list than any other technology provider. Numerous HP customers were included in the TOP500 list, including Wachovia Corp. and CGI/Bell Canada. The HP Superdome server's combination of HP's industry-leading HP-UX operating environment and new 875 MHz PA-8700+ processor provides customers with increased speed, resulting in improved real-world application performance, as well as continued investment protection through the ability to perform in-box upgrades. In the data warehousing space, the HP Superdome server running the Oracle 9i Database Release 2 secured a world-record one terabyte TPC-H benchmark result of 25,805 queries per hour (QphH) at 1 TB and achieved a price/performance ratio of $213/QphH. These results outperform all single-system or clustered servers on the market at one terabyte. According to the benchmark results, the HP Superdome server is at least 37 percent faster than all competitive offerings at one terabyte, including NCR's Worldmark 5250 server, a specialized data-warehousing system. "The new world-record TPC-H benchmark result highlights the combined strength of HP and Oracle in the data-warehousing space, allowing enterprise customers to turn their raw data into a strategic business asset," said Chuck Rozwat, executive vice president, Server Technologies, Oracle Corp. In the Java application space, the HP Superdome server recently scored 594,161 Java operations per second on the SPECjbb2000 benchmark. This result is 75 percent better than IBM's p690 server and 37 percent better than Sun's 72-way 15K server. "The new PA-8700+ processor is a milestone in our commitment to continually improve customer value through increased performance and investment protection," said Mark Hudson, worldwide marketing manager, HP Business Critical Systems. "We're on track to double Superdome's transaction performance next year, delivering lasting value that competitors can't match." Nestle is one of many customers that have recently purchased HP Superdome systems and are taking advantage of its superior capabilities to meet their enterprise computing needs. Addressing the customer need for reduced online transaction processing costs, the HP Superdome server recently established a new price/performance mark for UNIX® systems on the TPC-C benchmark, bettering IBM's p690 server by 8 percent. At $16.41/tpmC, the HP Superdome server set a new world record for high-end UNIX price/performance. HP plans to demonstrate world-leading transaction performance before the end of the summer. HP Superdome servers based on the new PA-8700+ processor are shipping in volume today.