Microsoft votes for X64 support over Intel Itanium

SOURCES SAID while Microsoft plans support for 64-32 support for chips made by AMD and Intel, its plans for native applications running the Itanium chip are nothing short of anaemic.

Out of 12 important software projects for 64-bit microprocessors, Microsoft has no plans to support seven of those for the Itanium chip.

It does appear to be toeing the Intel line on heavyweight apps like SQL Server Yukon, Services for Unix and "Relentless", however.

The overall picture, however, isn't bright for the future of Intel's mission critical chip. Since its Developer Forum earlier this year, when it announced its own EM64T alternative to AMD64, it has positioned the Itanium against "big tin" RISC chips, for the high end enterprise.

It also underlines what may represent a fundamental disagreement between Intel and Microsoft over future directions. Early signs of Microsoft pushing 64-32 over Itanium came at AMD's launch of the Opteron in New York a year ago. Microsoft had, it said at the time, been involved in 64-32 development right from the start.

The 64-bit native Microsoft applications list for X64 and Itanium looks, the sources told the INQUIRER, rather similar to the following:

Application	X64	Itanium
SQL Server 2000	Not available	March 2003
SQL Server Yukon	2005 H1	2005 H1
Vis Studio 2005 Whidbey	2005 H1	2005 H1
Exchange Server 12 (E12)	2006	Unplanned
Commerce Server Golden Eye	Q3 2005	Unplanned
Biztalk Server Pathfinder	Q3 2005	Unplanned
Host Integration Server 2005	Q3 2005	Unplanned
MS Op Manager Relentless	2006	2006
Services for Unix	2005	2005
Virtual PC SP 1 WOW64	2005 H1	Unplanned
Virtual PC V2 Hedgehog	2006	Unplanned
Virtual Server V2	2006	Unplanned

See Also
Intel Itanium's very future in doubt
AMD's 64-bits better than Intel's 64-bits, Microsoft says
Microsoft and AMD jointly developed 64-bit chips
Microsoft's Cutler enthuses about AMD64
AMD Microsoft memo - leaked?