Intel and BEA set to eclipse Sun

Intel will collaborate with BEA to develop the WebLogic application server software on Intel processors, including the new 64bit Itanium chip.

The relationship between Sun and BEA has always been close from the moment BEA was formed by three former Sun executives in 1995. However, the move is being seen as a possible threat to Sun itself - the current leader in the high-end server market.

While most development work for BEA applications is undertaken on Intel platforms, most implementations are currently based on powerful Sun workstations, but Sun also sells application server products that directly rival BEA's offering.

The move is an entirely logical step for BEA, says analyst Tony Lock of Bloor Research.

"They have got to make sure they have as wide a platform as possible. So they need to cover every system that has the power to run their applications," he said.

Though widely seen as a blow for Sun, the announcement is more accurately seen as just another stage in the steady invasion of Intel into Sun's market space.

For Intel, though, it is a key part of their move into the higher-end software market, which is spearheaded by the Itanium chip - the company's first 64bit processor aimed at taking on Sun - which currently dominates the top end of the server market.

Alliances between software companies and hardware makers will become increasingly significant, as the raw performance characteristics of hardware become less important than the ease with which it can be integrated into corporations' complex IT environments.

Bloor's lock said: "Software and middleware is becoming a much more important part of the processor game,

"The underlying architecture is less important."