Itanium Needs Linux, but Does Linux Need Itanium?

Steven Vaughan-Nichols Avatar

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For years now, I’ve been hearing about how Intel’s Itanium platform was going to be the server chip to end all other server chips. It hasn’t happened.

I don’t think it ever will happen.

Recently, some of Intel’s 64-bit Itanium chip allies have been looking to Linux as a way to give the much-maligned architecture a shot in the arm. They’ve been looking at ways to make the chip more interesting to Linux users.

As Joseph Gonzalez, a Gartner analyst, has said, “On the Itanium side, we really don’t foresee strong growth during that time. Although it debuted with a lot of hype and fanfare, Itanium hasn’t really moved into a commanding role in the server market.”

Click here to read about Hewlett-Packard’s new chip set for Itanium systems.

Even when people do predict that Itanium will finally get some traction, they usually damn it with faint praise.

Read the full story on eWEEK.com: Itanium Needs Linux, but Does Linux Need Itanium?