GOVERNMENT

PALO ALTO, CA -- Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP) today announced the availability of PA-8700 processor-based systems that provide customers with excellent performance and investment protection as well as increased system reliability and functionality. The PA-8700 processor, based on PA-RISC technology, is available for the high-end flagship HP Server Superdome, the mid-range HP Server rp7400 (formerly the N-class) and HP Server rp8400 systems and the HP Workstations c3700 and j6700. With the PA-8700 processor, the HP Superdome server -- one of the industry's best performing high-end UNIX servers -- is expected to provide customers with up to double the performance gains in industry benchmarks and applications required by enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, business intelligence, customer relationship management and technical computing. The HP Workstation J6700 using the PA-8700 processor delivers industry-leading performance measured up to 29 percent above Sun's UltraSparc III 900 MHz, unparalleled memory and compute density(1). Targeted for the EDA and MCAE markets, the HP Workstation j6700 has the capacity to handle complex designs and simulations faster than any other dual processor UNIX workstation on the market. "Our customers have developed a high level of trust in the PA-RISC architecture, the HP-UX operating system and HP's superior investment protection and technology leadership," said Duane Zitzner, president, HP Computing Systems. "These new PA-8700 processor-based systems pay off on that trust and offer customers next-generation benefits available from no other supplier." What's in a Chip -- Available at operating frequencies of 650 and 750 MHz, the PA-8700 processor provides customers a choice in speed requirements and continues the leadership of its predecessor, the 550 MHz PA-8600, the fastest RISC processor from any major supplier in 2000. -- The PA-8700 processor delivers enhanced application performance with 2.25 megabytes of on-chip data cache (.75 MB) and instruction cache (1.50 MB) -- a 50 percent increase and more than offered by any other vendor. -- A generation ahead of its competition, the PA-8700 processor is 30 percent faster than Sun's 900 MHz USIII processor(2), which is currently not available on their UNIX servers. -- Although running at higher frequencies than the PA-8600 processor, the PA-8700 processor's copper interconnect allows it to run cooler with lower power consumption and high conductivity throughput for faster performance and enhanced reliability. -- The processor design, based on the state-of-the-art 0.18 micron silicon-on-insulator copper CMOS process, delivers more transactions in less time. The PA-8700 processor is currently shipping with HP Superdome, HP Server rp7400 and the new HP Server rp8400 systems, as well as with the HP Workstations c3700 and j6700. The PA-8700 processor is expected to be available on other HP UNIX systems later this fall. For more information visit www.hp.com