Oracle has decided the a single chip in a dual-processor system should be billed at a 25% discount, thereby easing the terms of its database and application server software for customers who are integrating multi-core systems into their IT infrastructures.

Peter Zadrozny of Oracle during his live SYS-CON.TV interview

Will the move stop customers complaining from being overcharged for using the new-style processors? Intel committed to dual-core at one of its developer events about a year ago, and is now shipping them. Customers who get double-charged for use of these processors fell unfairly treated, as they do not have a choice in migrating to the new technology and are not increasing the number of systems in use simply by deploying mutli-core processors.

Under Oracle's new deal, a multi-core chip with x-number of cores shall be determined by multiplying the number of cores by .75, with all fractions of a number to be rounded up to the next whole number, Oracle said. As a result, a multi-core chip with 9 cores would require a 7 processor license, for example. Only one processor will be counted for Oracle Standard Edition users who have only one processors with two cores.

Intel (and its competitors) are migrating to dual-core technology to be able to increase performance following the cruel invariability of Moore's Law, while handling increasing heat. Users of the latest-generation single-core Pentium chips are certainly familiar with the constantly screaming fans deployed to keep the systems cool. The "cool" new dual-core processors seem to address inexorably rising performance needs with elan, but the future will see if customers will be cool to Oracle's new way of charging users of the new technology.


Is the Intel E3270 too cool?