Sun Microsystems (SUN) has signed a three-year deal with China's Ministry of Education to train integrated circuit talent for China and promote the development of the industry.

The agreement is based on Sun's OpenSPARC, one of the fastest microsystems in the world and the only major processor whose design has been provided by Sun to the open source community free of charge.

According to the agreement, the Ministry of Education can set OpenSPARC related courses and teach Chinese students the latest processor innovation technology. Participating Chinese universities can compile their own textbooks, and carry out research and experiments. In addition, the Ministry of Education and Sun will jointly promote their successful experience in each region in China.

Zhao Qinping, deputy minister of the Ministry of Education, said that they appreciated Sun's open source code strategy, particularly the company's contribution to the IC sector. In the meantime, they would encourage Chinese universities to carry out active cooperation with Sun in education and research so as to improve China's education and research level on IC.