Intel and VMware Expand Collaboration to Accelerate Adoption of VirtualiSation
INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2006 - Intel Corporation and VMware Inc. today expanded their
collaboration to bring the benefits of virtualisation to enterprises and new market segments. In a keynote at the Spring
2006 Intel Developer Forum, Intel senior vice president Pat Gelsinger and VMware President Diane Greene announced a new
virtualisation specification, expanded product support and a global joint marketing campaign to increase awareness and
adoption of the technology.
Virtualisation is a technique by which computing resources can be abstracted and dynamically moved and allocated amongst
multiple operating system environments, allowing one hardware platform to function as multiple ‘virtual’ platforms.
Intel® Virtualisation Technology (Intel VT) provides silicon-level support for CPU virtualisation, enabling additional
platform functionality and security. Intel has been shipping server and client processors with Intel VT since November
2005.
Intel today published the specification for the next innovation in its virtualisation technology portfolio: Intel
Virtualisation Technology for Directed I/O (Intel VT-d). This technology can provide hardware assistance for assigning
I/O devices to virtual machines or partitions, and can improve performance and robustness of data movement in a
virtualised environment. The specification complements work being driven by the PCI SIG I/O Virtualisation Work Group,
which has broad industry support.
VMware announced plans to support Intel VT-d in its enterprise virtualisation products, including VMware ESX Server, as
VT-d becomes available in upcoming Intel platforms.
Today VMware supports Intel VT-x, the first generation of Intel VT, in its VMware Workstation and VMware Server
products, and plans to continue working with Intel to optimise all its products for Intel VT-x by the end of this year.
“Virtualisation Technology for Directed I/O is the result of the long-term collaboration between VMware and Intel,” said
Greene. “With Intel VT-x, Intel delivered a robust virtualisation infrastructure that leveraged VMware’s long-standing
leadership in delivering high-performance virtualisation products for the Intel architecture. Now with VT-d, Intel and
VMware are building on that foundation to make virtualisation even more flexible and robust.”
“Intel has led the industry in the specification, development and productisation of hardware-assisted virtualisation,
and Intel VT is backed by broad ecosystem support, which is essential for customers to successfully implement this
technology,” said Gelsinger. “With support for Intel VT across its entire product line, VMware’s customers will benefit
from the incremental benefits of hardware assisted virtualisation.”
In addition to product development and support, Intel and VMware will collaborate on several market acceleration and
education initiatives, including:
o Enterprise Marketing: The two companies will work together to drive market awareness and adoption of virtualisation
with a multi-million-dollar marketing campaign. Intel and VMware will continue to educate and bring the value of
virtualisation directly to the enterprise’s top IT managers through direct engagements and targeted materials in
conjunction with some of the companies’ largest joint original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners.
o Entry Market Education: To help educate the market and drive virtualisation ubiquity, the companies are investing in
the development of a comprehensive starter kit with the tools and resources required for new customers to start using
virtualisation.
About the Intel Developer Forum
IDF is the direction-setting communications and computing industry programme for Intel architecture-based design,
development and solutions. Launched in 1997 as a gathering of 200 developers in San Francisco, IDF is a growing,
worldwide programme attended by more than 25,000 technology experts annually. IDF helps key players expand their
knowledge of cutting-edge technologies, gain tools for building enterprise-level solutions and make powerful
connections. Visit www.intel.com/idf for more information.
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance
how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
About VMware
VMware, an EMC company, is the global leader in virtual infrastructure software for industry-standard systems. The
world’s largest companies use VMware solutions to simplify their IT, fully leverage their existing computing investments
and respond faster to changing business demands. VMware is based in Palo Alto, California. For more information, visit
www.vmware.com or call (650) 475-5000.
* Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the
United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
ENDS