SAN FRANCISCO -- With the Java(TM) programming language positioned to be the platform of choice for next-generation information appliances, Java processor technology, developed to optimize Java applications, will be at the center of these devices in 1998.

As part of this year's JavaOne conference, running April 2-4 in San Francisco, Sun Microsystems, Inc., (Nasdaq: SUNW) is announcing new agreements and letters of intent with industry leaders like Toshiba, LG Semicon, Rockwell Collins, Thomson Sun Interactive and MetaWare.

Sun's Java processors, currently under development, are expected to run Java applications significantly faster, safer and with lower power than existing microprocessors using software techniques. The proliferation of Java applications into appliances like network computers, set-top boxes and personal communicators is expected to result in the creation of a whole new category of processors designed specifically to optimize Java applications.

Sun announced the first of its agreements with licensees including NEC and LG Semicon in May 1996 at the inaugural JavaOne conference. While company officials won't reveal their marketing efforts this early, Sun officials expect to see a whole new category of consumer products developed around this technology in late 1997.

"Imagine a personal communicator that networks you directly to your office computer from wherever you are and automatically monitors your email and voicemail," said Chet Silvestri, president of Sun Microelectronics, a division of Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Or imagine a smart phone that flips open to reveal a small computer screen that allows you to jot down notes, surf the Web and provides directions to the nearest Italian restaurant. The JavaOS(TM) and Java processor technology will allow an array of smart appliances and smart systems to work together seamlessly for the first time since the computer was invented."

Processors based on Sun's picoJava(TM) core won't require software interpreters or compilers (needed by existing microprocessors) because they run Java bytecode directly. As a result, licensees can create picoJava-based processors that easily download Java applications and run them faster than chips with general purpose processors.

"Developing the technology optimized to Sun Java applications is only the first step in making Java ubiquitous in the consumer electronics marketplace," Silvestri said. "We've developed an extremely flexible strategy that allows our customers to license the core technology or buy standard products from SME or our licensee partners. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for our customers to get their products into the hands of consumers."

Sun and Toshiba have signed a letter of intent (LOI) under which the parties propose to co-develop a low-power version the Java processor targeted for mobile computing. Sun and LG Semicon have signed an LOI to develop a Java processor designed for a new generation of Internet-ready network computers, Internet TVs, set-top boxes and consumer kiosks.

Sun and Rockwell Collins have entered into a technology exchange and licensing agreement to develop Java processor core technology for very low-power applications such as cellular phones, Global Positioning System devices and aircraft avionics.

Sun and Thomson Sun Interactive have signed an LOI under which the parties propose to port its OpenTV operating system, ideal for interactive TV and set-top boxes, to Sun's microJava(TM) family of processors. Sun also announced that it has signed an agreement with MetaWare, Incorporated to port MetaWare's High C/C++ Embedded Toolset to support Sun's picoJava core.

SOURCE Sun Microsystems Inc.