Sun Microsystems is delaying the launch of a faster version of its UltraSparc IV+ processor until sometime in the next quarter, a top company executive said Thursday.The 1.8GHz version of the chip was to have appeared this quarter but will now be delayed, said David Yen, executive vice president of Sun’s Scalable Systems Group at a company event in Tokyo.“We are postponing the introduction of the next speed enhancement, but it’s coming,” he said. “Next quarter we’ll move from 1.5 to 1.8 and later this year push beyond that.”Yen didn’t detail future speed increases for the chip, but when it was first announced in 2004, the company talked about a 2GHz version. It’s not the first time the 1.8GHz version of the chip, which is used in several models of Sun hardware, has been delayed. At the 2004 announcement, Sun said it would launch the chip at 1.8GHz, but when it appeared in September last year, it was at a 1.5GHz clock speed.Yen didn’t specify a reason for the delay, but the announcement followed news that Sun has caught up with demand for the 1.5GHz version of the chip. Shipments of UltraSparc IV+ processors in the last quarter were more than double those of the quarter before and will double again in the current quarter, he said. “Supply has finally caught up, and any UltraSparc you order in this quarter will get delivered in this quarter,” said Yen. The company also provided an update on its Solaris 10 operating system. The software shipped last year in an open source version, and Sun said there have been 4.5 million registered software downloads.“Since Solaris 10, we’ve seen growth in interest in Solaris worldwide,” said Sun Chief Technical Officer Greg Papadopoulos. “It’s been nothing short of phenomenal.”He said most of the Intel and AMD installations being done are on servers from IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Dell.-Martyn Williams, IDG News ServiceFor related news coverage, read EPA, Sun to Define Energy-Efficient Server Spec and Sun Launches New Thin Clients, Ships Niagara Server. Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Zscaler How customers can save money during periods of economic uncertainty Now is the time to overcome the challenges of perimeter-based architectures and reduce costs with zero trust. By Zscaler Dec 01, 2023 4 mins Security feature LexisNexis rises to the generative AI challenge With generative AI, the legal information services giant faces its most formidable disruptor yet. That’s why CTO Jeff Reihl is embracing and enhancing the technology swiftly to keep in front of the competition. By Paula Rooney Dec 01, 2023 6 mins Generative AI Digital Transformation Cloud Computing feature 10 business intelligence certifications and certificates to advance your BI career From BI analysts and BI developers to BI architects and BI directors, business intelligence pros are in high demand. Here are the certifications and certificates that can give your career an edge. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 01, 2023 8 mins Certifications Business Intelligence IT Skills brandpost Sponsored by Huawei Beyond gigabit: the need for 10 Gbps in business networks Interview with Liu Jianning, Vice President of Huawei's Data Communication Marketing & Solutions Sales Dept By CIO Online Staff Nov 30, 2023 9 mins Cloud Architecture Networking Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe