BEIJING, April 27 -- Microsoft released early this week new versions of its Windows operating system, providing a single platform that can easily run new 64-bit applications and existing 32-bit applications.

Microsoft releases new versions of its Windows operating system, providing a single platform that can easily run new 64-bit applications and existing 32-bit applications.

    The new products, Windows XP Professional x64 and Windows Server 2003 x64, are priced identically to their 32-bit counterparts and will be generally available immediately.

    The main advantages of 64-bit systems are twofold. First, by processing larger chunks of data, 64-bit environments are better suited to processor-intensive tasks such as handling 3D graphics. Second, a 64-bit system can support a wider address range - increasing addressable memory from 4GB to 16TB, which benefits data-heavy applications such as databases and business analysis programs.

    "It's a very big deal for us," said Bill Gates, Software Giant Microsoft's chairman, during a speech April 25 at Microsoft's annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Seattle. 

The new products, with the earlier released "Longhorn," are expected to figure prominently in Bill Gates' keynote address previewing the third decade of Windows.

    "This is a time of profound change in our industry. The move from 32-bit to 64-bit computing offers a dramatic improvement in performance and reliability, enabling people to use their PCs in exciting new ways at work and at home," said Bill Gates.

    The new products, with the earlier released "Longhorn," are expected to figure prominently in Bill Gates' keynote address previewing the third decade of Windows, the operating system that was launched in late 1985.

    The 64-bit versions of the operating systems will be able to run existing 32-bit apps as well as explicitly created 64-bit applications. This is because the underlying x64 platform is compatible with the older x86 architecture, which should simplify the transition from 32- to 64-bit computing.

   (Agencies)