AMD must really be hurting right now. Not only did Intel successfully launch a quad-core product (what’s in a name?) first, but AMD’s long-awaited 4×4 platform got whipped by Intel’s dual-core Kentsfield in benchmarks. And now this: Intel has announced that they’ll drop yet another quad-core part …

Silicon Graphics plans to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy next month and will refocus on mainstream servers and IT services. SGI will still continue selling its high-end technical computing systems, but to a lesser extent. On the business side they plan to shed 250 jobs and $150 million in costs. And just like IBM and EMC, which both managed successful turn-arounds from the dinosaur hardware days, SGI intends to monetize its in-house experts by selling advice. 

For more on …

Silicon Graphics said Dec. 29 will be the day its Irix operating system and MIPS-based servers are discontinued. Presumably there will be some ongoing paid support options. The technologies have been around for 18 years, but SGI now primarily builds its hardware around Linux running atop Intel Itanium processors. It’s debatable whether the decision will help or hurt SGI’s bottom line, but either way it’s one more Unix version going away. Unix versions from Hewlett-Packard, IBM, SCO and …

Transitive, a start-up known for its Apple Rosetta software, will soon release software that lets programs written for Sun Microsystems Sparc chips also run on Intel Xeon and Itanium chips. When using Linux, Transitive’s software also lets customers run their own scripts, not just commercial-quality applications. There’s no word yet on pricing but the Xeon version will launch this quarter and the Itanium version should be ready later this year, officials said. Transitive also has Silicon …

Silicon Graphics, still struggling to survive after going bankrupt in May, now is launching a line of x86 servers. Its high-end servers use Intel Itanium chips, which haven’t been very popular in the marketplace. The new servers, called Altix XE, are intended for Linux clustering and use Intel’s latest dual-core Xeon chips–the 5100 “Woodcrest” series. SGI also announced a new midrange blade server, the Altix 450. (Email …

Silicon Graphics is finally and officially bankrupt. Its debtors are taking equity in the company in exchange for more loans. But what will be the storied company’s turn-around plan? Email me with your opinion. Article

> ADIC buys data management company for $63 million. Article

> Silicon Graphics unveils supercomputer-in-a-blade. Article

> Emulex’s iSCSI, FCIP storage routers target big biz. Article

> Cisco raises services standards for its partners. …

> IT big brother gets more sophisticated. Article

> A trend in data center construction. Article

> Open source routing reality check. Article

> Silicon Graphics keeps fading away. …

Silicon Graphics, considered an industry high-flier before and during the dot-com boom, now says it might run out of money by the end of 2006. So the real question is: Is there anything worth acquiring and by whom? Past rumors suggested a buyout could come from specialty and technology-intensive hardware companies like Sun or even Apple. Email me your prediction. Article

> US Senate approves H-1B visa increase. Article

> Silicon Graphics not dead yet… might go for a walk. Article

> Business Objects gathers its faithful for upgrade. …