Michael Dell speaks out on IBM/Sun deal

At a briefing in Tokyo, Dell told reporters that he saw an "enormous opportunity" stemming from possibility of two of his company's biggest rivals in the enterprise server space.

Dell's optimism is said to stem from a belief that an acquisition by IBM could put Sun's Solairs server platform in doubt. Worries over the future Solaris could then drive more customers to Dell's own x86 server offerings rather than wait on word from Sun and IBM.

"I think this accelerates the migration and sends a lot of those accounts into an opportunity," Dell was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Dell's remarks come as IBM and Sun are said to be in the midst of acquisition talks. Reports have placed IBM's offer for Sun as high as $6.5 billion, though recent reports suggest that the two sides are far from striking a final deal.

If an IBM/Sun merger were to happen, such a deal would be likely to have its greatest impact in the server market, where Dell, IBM, Sun and HP are all battling for supremacy.