MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- SGI (NYSE: SGI) today announced a new program to make its powerful range of systems based on MIPS® processor and IRIX® operating system available to current HP and Compaq customers through the SGI Migration Assistance Program. This innovative program offers SGI® systems bundled with free application evaluation, consulting and training for optimizing the customer's software code for the IRIX operating system's development environment. SGI will provide technical and creative professionals with a streamlined migration path from their existing HP® and Compaq® systems that meets their particular requirements now and into the future. The Migration Assistance Program is offered in addition to current hardware trade-in credits for HP and Compaq systems. SGI is unique in delivering systems that have a tight integration between high-performance computing, advanced visualization and complex data management. Since its inception SGI has been exclusively focused on solving the next class of problems for technical and creative markets. Technical and creative users have common needs, which are very different from those of traditional enterprise or e-business users. Their business models require them to break new ground. They require ever-higher levels of performance and capability. They have a need to visualize and interpret vast amounts of complex data in real time. Their workflows are unique-they tend to be more collaborative and mobile. SGI has developed specialized solutions for customers in five key vertical markets including manufacturing, sciences, energy, media, and government and defense. SGI controls its core technology so that development is keenly focused on solving the unique problems of its customers. SGI is committed to the IRIX operating system and MIPS microprocessors as the basis for its strategic platform now and into the future. The IRIX OS delivers the highest levels of security, reliability and processor scalability (up to 512 processors within a shared-memory environment). The robustness of the IRIX OS, coupled with the power and efficiency of the MIPS processor's architectural advances such as low power consumption, makes SGI uniquely positioned to meet the demanding requirements of professionals in the creative and technical markets. ``The reduced focus on midrange technical computing, evidenced by the proposed HP and Compaq merger and the reported phasing out of the PA-RISC and ALPHA microprocessor lines, has resulted in customers being concerned about the stability of their development environments. SGI is responding to the needs of those users with an easy Migration Assistance Program created to satisfy customers' requirements for a long-term and stable technical computing solution,'' said Jan Silverman, senior vice president of marketing at SGI. Many application developers benefit from the IRIX operating system's unique shared-memory capabilities, which allow programmers to scale applications over hundreds of processors without the use of special latency-encumbered clustering techniques. SGI customers have reported up to eight times better performance in certain applications, simply by allowing their software code to scale naturally in an IRIX shared-memory implementation, rather than trying to do the work manually with a cluster-based approach of HP and Compaq systems. Migration Assistance Program Details The Migration Assistance Program is implemented by SGI Professional Services-a diversified task force of solutions architects that includes accomplished engineers, scientists, project managers and industry analysts. This team of experts applies skill, experience and technical proficiency to customers' most challenging business problems, leveraging the team's considerable field successes and cumulative industry knowledge. The SGI Migration Assistance Program includes three options based on the size of the system purchased: IRIX HPC Overview Analysis includes an on-site visit by an SGI IRIX HPC expert, a workflow analysis and a summary of the conceptual benefits of IRIX IRIX HPC Detailed Analysis I includes an on-site visit by an SGI IRIX HPC expert, a workflow analysis, an application flow and performance analysis, a summary of IRIX benefits, an outline of IRIX features to be exploited, a management presentation, and 10 training credits for any IRIX administrative course (equivalent to two weeks)IRIX HPC Detailed Analysis II includes an on-site visit by an SGI IRIX HPC expert, a workflow analysis, an application flow and performance analysis, a summary of IRIX benefits, an outline of IRIX features to be exploited, a management presentation, an IRIX feature exploitation plan, 20 days implementation support (over a six month period), and 25 training credits for any IRIX administrative course (equivalent to five weeks) Availability SGI kicks off the Migration Assistance Program for HP and Compaq customers immediately with free consulting and training services bundled with the purchase of SGI systems. In the event the HP and Compaq merger is not approved, SGI will continue to offer this exciting new program for customers wanting to migrate to the high-performance MIPS and IRIX OS-based systems. SGI will continue to offer hardware trade-in credits and assistance for customers in achieving optimal performance on the IRIX operating system. For more detailed information on the SGI Migration Assistance Program, users can visit the Web site at www.sgi.com.