IBM next week will take the next step in its Power Everywhere initiative by rolling out resources to help software developers as they begin building applications to the architecture. The Armonk, N.Y., company on Monday will unveil the tools on its developerWorks Web site, said Kathy Mandelstein, program director for worldwide developer marketing at IBM.
The move is a step in IBM"s program to open up the architecture of its Power microprocessors to enable third-party vendors to build custom chips and software based on the platform. At the announcement on March 31, IBM officials said the Power Everywhere initiative—while the company will open up the architecture, it will keep control of the core parts of the platform, such as the instruction set—is designed to get Power technology into everything from small handheld devices to a customer"s largest enterprise systems. IBM felt the fastest way to enable that to happen was through third-party developers. Officials promised various tools to developers and partners to help them develop to the architecture.