SYSTEMS

SANTA CLARA, CA -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) today submitted world-record results on the SPECjbb(TM) 2000 benchmark (Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation Java Business Benchmark 2000). Testing confirmed that the Sun Fire(TM) 15K server, configured with 104 UltraSPARC® III Cu 1050 MHz processors, delivers 602,270 JBB operations per second (op/s) on the SPECjbb2000, surpassing IBM's best result of 339,484 op/s, set on the p690 "Regatta" server. Sun also submitted results today for a Sun Fire 15K server configured with 72 UltraSPARC III Cu 1050 MHz processors. The results achieved on that system -- 433,166 JBB op/s -- when compared to the new world-record results, reveal near-linear scalability of the Sun architecture up to 104 CPUs. These unprecedented results clearly demonstrate that the Sun Fire 15K offers enterprises and institutions solid investment protection as their business needs grow. The SPECjbb2000 benchmark evaluates server-side Java performance. Because it models a three-tier system, the most common type of server-side Java application, and uses typical business-critical workloads, including order-entry, inquiry and payment processing, the SPECjbb2000 benchmark aims to model the performance of real-world applications on today's systems. IO and Memory Benchmarks In addition to its strong processor performance, the Sun Fire 15K offers balanced system design as evidenced by new results submitted for the STREAM(copy) benchmark and IO performance tests. Fast CPUs on the Sun Fire 15K work in combination with fast memory and IO bandwidth to deliver maximum performance for nearly any data center application. On the STREAM(copy) benchmark, which measures processor to memory bandwidth, the Sun Fire 15K delivered 54.6 GB per second (GB/s) handily beating the IBM p690 which came in at only 28.6 GB/s. In IO performance tests, the Sun Fire 15K delivered a sustained 12.3 GB/s IO bandwidth, compared to IBM p690's peak of only 4.8 GB/s. Further, for the OLTP-type IO, the Sun Fire 15K demonstrated an outstanding 1.1 Million IOs per second (IOs) putting it in an altogether different league. Even IBM's largest z900 mainframe, reports only 384,000 IOs. Current Streams benchmark results are available at: http://www.cs.virginia.edu/stream/top10/Bandwidth.html as of May 8, 2002. Taken together, these results clearly illustrate that the upcoming introduction of the 1050 MHz UltraSPARC III Cu processor will propel an already high performing system to never-before-seen levels of functionality in the data center and in turn help Sun build on its four-fold lead in Mainframe Equivalent MIPS shipments over IBM, according to Sun's data. About the Sun Fire 15K server With rock-solid availability and hot-swappable components that are common to the entire Sun Fire family, the Sun Fire 15K helps redefine total cost of ownership across IT organizations. The Sun Fire 15K system features Sun's most advanced technology, including fifth-generation Dynamic System Domains and Uniboard Design. Running the robust Solaris(TM) 8 Operating Environment, the Sun Fire 15K reliably supports thousands of mission-critical applications and has the flexibility to support multiple configurations as business needs change. For more information visit www.sun.com