Microsoft on Tuesday opened the door to 64-bit Windows. The company announced that its Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition, is now available for computers based on Intel's 64-bit Itanium chip. Microsoft said that Compaq Computer, Dell Computer, Hewlett-Packard and IBM will start shipping servers running the new operating system within 30 days. Other computer makers will ship it later this year. The Itanium chip, aimed at heavy-duty workstations and servers for businesses and engineering, supports greater amounts of system memory and offers stronger floating-point, or mathematical, capabilities than current 32-bit desktop processors. The extra memory support and the floating-point capabilities serve to increase the performance of applications including Web hosting, data warehousing, computer-aided design and scientific research.
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