Microsoft sets licensing policy for new chips

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft Corp. agreed to require only a single license for server software that runs on computers powered by a new generation of chips that squeeze multiple processors into a single package.

Chipmakers Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. both hailed the move, which they said could speed the adoption of multiple-core processors that they plan to introduce next year.

The move to multiple cores has thrown a wrench into the licensing policies of server software makers, which generally charge per processor.

Packing multiple processors into a single package -- a technology adopted by all the major processor vendors -- raised the issue of whether computer users would be charged per processor or per core.

Microsoft said its server software that currently licenses on a per-processor basis will continue to be licenses that way.