Academic Research and Development in Atlantic Canada Gets a Boost - Sun Microsystems and Aliant donate $550,000 in Information Technology Equipment

Atlantic Canada - August 4, 2005 - Academic research at seven Atlantic Canadian colleges and universities is being supported by a $550,000 equipment donation from Sun Microsystems and Aliant. The equipment is available thanks to a unique program established between Aliant and Sun Microsystems. After completing server upgrades and consolidation at Aliant, Sun and Aliant chose to donate the equipment to educational and research institutions across the region, rather than trading it in or re-selling it.

"We are delighted to accept this generous donation of Sun servers from Aliant. These servers are currently deployed in our research operations at the Geospatial Research Facility for Terrestrial Ecosystems (GRF) at our Corner Brook campus," says Glenn Payne, Research Coordinator at College of the North Atlantic (CNA).

"The donated equipment is fully compatible with the computing infrastructure already in place at the GRF. Our researchers welcome this increased computing capacity to simulate complex ecological dynamics and develop innovative software tools to support forest ecosystem planning."

More than 65 servers have been donated to Nova Scotia Community College, Université de Moncton, Acadia University, University of New Brunswick - Saint John and Fredericton, Mount Allison University, College of the North Atlantic (CNA); and the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board. The servers  are used in a range of academic fields, including humanities, health sciences, computer science, physics and engineering.

"Atlantic Canada's continued success depends on investments in our colleges and universities. They are producing our next generation of thought leaders," said Gary Lund, Chief Technology Officer, Aliant. "Our company relies on research to bring new products and services to our customers - we're proud to support research in our own backyard."

"Sun and Aliant both have a long-standing history of support for education and research," said Lynne Zucker, director of education and research markets, Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc. "Atlantic Canada's institutes of higher learning are highly regarded for their research, and this investment promises to produce more academic and economic returns for all involved."

The equipment is being used to deliver academic programs and conduct research, separate from any funded projects or administrative computing needs. The recipient colleges and universities will use the technology to conduct research in areas like physics, computational fluid dynamics and computer modeling for drug development.  The colleges and universities selected went through an application process where they outlined the research to be conducted if they were to receive the equipment.

The Authorized iForce Solution Centre for Healthcare IT is another example of Sun's commitment to the Healthcare Industry. Sun is also actively involved in the United Kingdom's National Health Service, the 'backbone' for the next generation of healthcare service provision, providing a secure electronic health record for every English patient. Sun is responsible for the design, building and operation of the infrastructure systems, jointly delivered with BT and CSW Health, which will assist in connecting more than 30,000 health care practitioners and 270 Hospital Trusts.

About Aliant
From its home base in Atlantic Canada, Aliant delivers a wide variety of innovative and traditional communications services, including local and long distance telephony, wireless, Internet, e-commerce, interactive multimedia, data and managed network services, to more than two million consumers and over 80,000 enterprises. Aliant complements its industry-leading telecommunications business with strengths in information technology solutions and knowledge-services applications. Aliant's approximately 8,400 employees build on its 100-plus year history by collaborating to deliver the highest quality of customer service, choice and convenience. Aliant has a market capitalization of approximately $3.5 billion.

About Sun Microsystems of Canada, Inc.
Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems, Inc., is headquartered in Markham, Ontario. The company, which employs more than 550 people, has offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria. Sun products and services are also available through Sun Authorized Independent Marketing Organizations and iForce(SM) System Providers across Canada. For more information, visit http://ca.sun.com.

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