HP today rolled-out a module that allows its server customers to plug-in two Itanium 2 processors into one socket on some HP high-end machines, offering a cost-effective opportunity to double the performance of mission-critical computers.

The milestone is achieved with a new dual-processor module, called mx2, which features two industry-standard Intel Itanium 2 processors on a single module that can plug into existing systems – delivering up to 35% lower acquisition costs than similar IBM systems.

The move of HP is aimed to deliver speeds closer or higher those delivered by dual-core IBM processors and servers today. Since dual-core IA64 “Montecito” chips from Intel are to come only next year or later, HP needs something that would be here to compete with IBM. From technology standpoint, the mx2 is simply a module that allows microprocessors to share the same processor system bus.

Actual performance figures as well as technology peculiarities were not presented at press time.

The mx2 dual-processor module enhancement allows increased performance, flexibility and investment protection on HP Integrity servers. Customers can consolidate more workloads onto an HP Integrity server with an in-chassis upgrade to the module. Customers also get additional choices in price as this module doubles the processor counts for the existing HP Integrity server family.