SANTA CLARA, CALIF. �� January 20, 2004 �� Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW) today announced that Sun has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Nauticus Networks, a privately-held company based in Framingham, Massachusetts. Nauticus Networks' technologies provide a high-performance content-switch, including SSL, security, load-balancing and virtualization, that will be key components of Sun's volume systems strategy to enable massive horizontal scalability. As part of Sun's initiative, Nauticus Networks will be instrumental in the convergence of compute and network services. This convergence will give customers better integration of their throughput compute environment and allow them to easily develop new network services.

Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Sun will acquire Nauticus Networks in an all cash transaction. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of Sun's 2004 fiscal year. This acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Following completion of the acquisition, Nauticus Networks will become an integral part of Sun's Volume Systems Products organization under the leadership of Neil Knox, executive vice president, Volume Systems Products.

"As part of Sun's Volume Systems Products initiatives, Nauticus Networks will be instrumental in converging compute and network services in horizontally-scaled server platforms. This convergence will give customers better integration of their network computing environment and will allow the development of new network services,'�� said Neil Knox, executive vice president, Volume Systems Products, Sun Microsystems Inc. "Combining intelligent, next generation content switching technology with Sun's volume systems strategy helps customers attack cost and complexity and simplify system administration."

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding future results or financial performance of Sun Microsystems, Inc., including statements relating to the acquisition of Nauticus Networks, giving customers better integration of their throughput compute environment, the ability to easily develop new network services, the acquisition of Nauticus Networks in an all cash transaction, the expected close of the acquisition in the third quarter of Sun��s 2004 fiscal year, Nauticus Networks becoming an integral part of Sun��s Volume Services Products organization under the leadership of Neil Knox and Nauticus Networks being instrumental in converging compute and network services in horizontally-scaled server platforms. Such statements are just predictions and involve risks and uncertainties such that actual results and performance may differ materially. Factors that might cause such a difference include the closing of the acquisition of Nauticus Networks, successful integration of Nauticus Networks and its products and technologies into Sun, developing and marketing new products, lack of success in the timely development, production and acceptance of new products and services and in technical advancements, Sun��s inability to compete successfully in the highly competitive and rapidly changing marketplace, failure to retain key employees, cancellation or delay of projects, increased competition and continued adverse general economic conditions in the U.S. and internationally. These and other risks are detailed from time to time in Sun's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Sun's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003 and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended September 28, 2003 and December 28, 2003.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com

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