Thu Jul 31, 3:35 AM ET

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Edward F. Moltzen, CRN

IBM said it plans to build a Linux (news - web sites)-based supercomputer for a Tokyo-based research organization and will base the system on Advanced Micro Devices' 64-bit Opteron processor.

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The installation, for Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, will be capable of making 11 trillion calculations per second, according to IBM, Armonk, N.Y.

When AMD began shipping its Opteron processor in April, IBM stood alone as the only major U.S. server maker to agree to manufacture systems based on the chip. An IBM spokesman said the company will begin shipping servers that can be configured with Opteron chips later this quarter.

The eServer 325, which will have a starting price of $2,919, will reach full availability by October, the spokesman said.

The IBM supercomputer news appears to be another shot in the arm for Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD, which earlier this month posted second-quarter earnings that showed narrowed losses and sales that were slightly ahead of its lowered projections.

In September, AMD will also begin shipping its Athlon 64 processor--a 64-bit chip for desktops.

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