IBM is denying rumours that hardware and systems used for the Olympics will be auctioned en masse at the completion of the Paralympic games.
The rumours were leaked to ARN via an industry source who suggested more than 7000 PCs and Thinkpads will go under the hammer along with 540 Netfinity servers, 815 network switches, 50km of cable and 3 S/390 parallel sysplex systems.
While most resellers feel the volume is not large enough to make any real impact on channel sales, eyebrows are being raised at the 50 odd high-end RS/6000 PC and RS/6000 SP servers which could come under the hammer.
Meanwhile, IBM declined to specify exactly how the systems would be disposed of, saying only that the equipment will be "mostly reabsorbed into the IBM business".
500 PCs have been donated to a NSW government education initiative to assist disadvantaged high schools and the rest will be "allocated within IBM to cater to the growth of the business".