SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Oracle Corp. on Monday announced a new server line aimed at integrating semiconductor and server technology from Sun Microsystems, which Oracle bought last year for $7.3 billion, plus tweaks that make them best suited for Oracle's database and other business software.
The new SPARC T4 servers will be sold on their own or as part of what Oracle is calling its SPARC SuperCluster, which refers to preassembled machines and software that include the servers as well as various storage and other technologies from Oracle.
The announcement reflects Oracle's latest attempt to move in on IBM Corp.'s and Hewlett-Packard Co.'s turf with hardware and software in one product. Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems, a fallen dot-com star, raised eyebrows in the technology world because of Sun's diminished status. But Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has been emphatic that selling servers will help Oracle sell software.
Ellison announced the new machines at an event at the company's Redwood Shores headquarters.
Ellison and Oracle co-president Mark Hurd, who resigned last year as CEO of H-P, are scheduled to present more details at Oracle OpenWorld, the company's annual conference in San Francisco. It starts Sunday.
Oracle shares rose 81 cents, or 2.8 percent, to close at $29.71 on Monday.
