Sun's chip shot

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(Believe me, I’m not proud of that one).

SeekingAlpha reports that Sun is going to start selling its chips to the world again in a new business unit headed by Sun’s current storage head and former Sparc chief.

Software and server manufacturer Sun Microsystems has announced it is relaunching its Sparc microelectronics group, which will develop chips for the network, cryptography and high-performance computing markets. It will also supply the company’s systems businesses and do business with OEMs around the world.

In the 1990s, Sun Microelectronics sold Sparc chips to other companies that built servers around them as well as to Sun itself, but the company eventually altered its strategy and sold the chips only internally. The new shift outward is consistent with the philosophy of Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz, who promotes the use of Sun technology together with competitors’ products.