This IDC study analyzes the impact of the x86-64 server's debut on the IA-64 server market, and explores the respective server's market opportunities and growth factors. Additionally, forecasts for the server product markets are also presented. In August 2004, Intel began shipment of the Xeon EM64T processor, which was announced in February 2004. This 64-bit processor–equipped x86-64 server started shipment in the Japan market in 3Q04. Thus, Intel's 64-bit processor–equipped servers now include two systems: the EPIC processor–equipped IA-64 server and the x86-64 server.
According to IDC forecast, the x86 server market will see a rapid shift from the 32-bit processor–equipped x86-32 server to the x86-64 server from 2005. By end of 2006, shipment of x86-32 servers will cease. In this way, the x86-64 server will succeed the x86-32 server. Meanwhile, the IA-64 server will achieve a certain market scale as the platform for migrating from the RISC server. "The advantages of the x86-64 server, which is equipped with the x86-64 processor, are larger address space and high-speed double-precision computation, rather than reliability or scalability, which are the advantages of the traditional x86-32 server. Thus, it will have extremely limited impact on the IA-64 server market, which seeks to replace the RISC server market where high reliability and scalability are required," opines Masamichi Karasawa, senior analyst, Server, IDC Japan.