A number of server and software manufacturers will tout new products based around Intel"s Itanium 2 processor when the chip is released next week, but Dell Computer won"t be among them.
The Round Rock, Texas-based PC manufacturer has no definite plans for Itanium 2 servers and will not be on hand when Intel unveils the chip, said a company representative.
"At this point, we are in a bit of a wait-and-see mode with Itanium 2," the representative said.
The absence of Dell will likely be awkward for Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel. Dell is the largest PC manufacturer in the world and is a growing presence in the server market.
In terms of revenue, Dell was the fifth-largest server maker worldwide in the first quarter of 2002, commanding 8 percent of sales, according to research firm IDC.
And in terms of units, Dell was the No. 2 server maker in the world during the first quarter, with 17.8 percent of the market, according to research firm Gartner.