Pixar Selects Sun Microsystems As Exclusive Provider Of Rendering Solution For ""Toy Story 2""
Pixar Animation Studios (Nasdaq: PIXR) is using 120 Sun(TM) Enterprise 4500 Servers and 4.5 terabytes of Sun StorEdge disk storage arrays to render ""Toy Story 2,"" the sequel to its 1995 blockbuster due to be released this Thanksgiving under Pixar's partnership with Walt Disney Pictures. ""Toy Story 2"" is Pixar's third feature film, and is the studio's most demanding film yet in terms of rendering requirements. Pixar has selected Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW) as the exclusive provider for its rendering for each of its three feature films to date. ""We chose Sun as the rendering platform for our mission-critical film productions because their systems are reliable and easy to maintain,"" said Greg Brandeau, Vice President of Computer Operations for Pixar Animation Studios. ""Using Sun technology and powerful CPUs, we're able to produce a richer, more complex film in a shorter amount of time."" ""Pixar has been a loyal Sun customer since its first feature film, ëToy Story,í'"" said John Shoemaker, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Desktops and Server Systems, Sun Microsystems. ""What a thrill it is knowing that Sun technology is once again helping Pixar paint the silver screen with its amazing visions. Needless to say, we're big fans."" In order to create the complex and richly animated frames necessary for a feature-length animated film, Pixar needed a solution with the ideal combination of power, performance, flexibility and compact size. They found it with Sun. The solution includes 120 Sun Enterprise 4500 servers, each powered by the robust Solaris(TM) Operating Environment and configured with 14 UltraSPARCô II processors, delivering an aggregate total of 1,680 processors. Each of these processors can work on one frame of the film at a time. This results in improved rendering time compared to linear rendering with a supercomputer, and it also provides easier network manageability compared to using a comparable number of processors in separate PCs. In addition, the Sun renderfarm enables Pixar programmers to fit the compute power they need into a single machine room, saving precious real estate. About Pixar Animation Studios Pixar Animation Studios combines creative and technical artistry to create original characters and stories in the new medium of three-dimensional computer animation. Pixar created and produced the first computer-animated feature film, ""Toy Story,"" and is an industry leader in the creation of digital technology for the motion picture industry. Pixar employs approximately 430 people. About Sun Microsystems, Inc. Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, ""The Network Is The Computerô,"" has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., to its position as a leading provider of high quality hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $11 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com.