SAS is porting its business intelligence platform, SAS9, to the Linux operating system running on Itanium 2 processor-based servers.
SAS says the financial services industry in particular is aggressively adopting the 64-bit open source platform.
Keith Collins, chief technology officer at SAS, says: "Linux on Itanium processor-based servers is a viable operating system for many of our customers, giving them added choice in operating systems and more options for their IT spend."
The capability is scheduled to be available in November 2004.
The move has been welcomed by SAS customer Citi Cards, which uses SAS software to better understand its prospects and customer base.
Says Ron Guggenheimer, senior vice president, Citi Cards: "Improving our ability to provide fast, accurate data is paramount in maintaining our competitive advantage in the credit card industry. SAS and Intel have been great partners in supporting our vision to enable our business intelligence solutions on a low cost, reliable platform built on Linux and Itanium 2-based servers. We are very excited about the potential that this platform can have in bringing continued business value to our organisation."
SAS and Intel have also formed the SAS and Intel Advanced Research Centre (SIARC), a jointly funded and staffed centre that focuses on the integration of emerging technologies such as Linux on Itanium processor-based systems.