News Releases

Mar 6, 2000 08:19 AM

Company Accelerating Enterprise Server Development Program

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2000--In a move which is an integral part of Hitachi, Ltd.'s mid-term plan disclosed late last year, Hitachi Data Systems Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), today announced Hitachi is accelerating the development of next-generation enterprise server technology and, concurrently, ramping up further penetration in its storage and solutions lines of business.

"We are in the midst of a strategic change in the marketplace that is demanding, among other things, the ability to operate in a 100% realtime heterogeneous environment with features and scalability not yet available," said Yoshihiro Koshimizu, president and CEO of Hitachi Data Systems. "At the same time, we are seeing a continuing market demand for unprecedented levels of price performance. As a result, Hitachi, not unlike its competitors, is moving to more cost-efficient technologies and models of doing business at speeds that will guarantee our customers' success in the Internet age.

"Consequently, we have made a decision to accelerate our product development in heterogeneous enterprise servers. These servers will employ both new technologies and production techniques. In the meantime, Hitachi Data Systems will continue to deliver servers in support of existing server customer requirements. We will also deploy additional resources to enterprise storage and business solutions, details of which will be finalized in the next 90 days," said Koshimizu.

Etsuhiko Shoyama, president of Hitachi, Ltd., said, "There is no marketplace which Hitachi considers more strategically important than business solutions through information technology. Every company in this business is engaged in an increasingly accelerated process of transition.

"Hitachi is both committed to supporting and also reliant upon Hitachi Data Systems to supply the business solutions, related products, services, and market vision required by our global customer base. This strategy is integrated with the broader mid-term 'i.e.Hitachi' plan, which places a premium on being a 'best solutions' partner. We regard Hitachi Data Systems as a cornerstone of that objective. Hitachi Data Systems' customers are the premier users and innovators in this industry and we are positioning to help them sustain success in their businesses."