Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced the OpenSPARC project to open source its new breakthrough UltraSPARC(R) T1 processor design point. Sun also announced plans to publish specifications for the UltraSPARC-based chip, including the source of the design expressed in Verilog, a verification suite and simulation models, instruction set architecture specification (UltraSPARC Architecture 2005) and a Solaris OS port. The goal is to enable community members to build on proven technology at a markedly lower cost and to innovate freely. The source code will be released under an Open Source Initiative (OSI)-approved open source license.

With this ground breaking move to open source the UltraSPARC T1 code, Sun hopes to spur innovation for massively-threaded systems and “system-on-a-chip” design through increased participation in processor architecture development and application design, thus eliminating many of the barriers to the next big build-out of the Internet. The program will yield more collaboration and cooperation around hardware design and is expected to help drive down the costs of implementing the design in different technologies, while enabling bold new products to be brought to market.

"This company was founded on the principles of openness, community and competition. In our 23-year history, we've contributed more code to the open source community than any other organization on earth," said Scott McNealy (pictured), chairman and CEO, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Today, we're breaking new ground by extending the open source movement into the IT hardware business and removing the barriers for adoption. We're throwing open the doors of innovation for everyone to participate, fostering new growth and economic opportunity for Sun and the Internet of the future."