Windows Server 2003 x64 provides high performance for both 32-bit and 64-bit applications on the same system. The underlying architecture is based on 64-bit extensions to the industry-standard x86 instruction set, allowing today's 32-bit applications to run natively on x64 processors. At the same time, new 64-bit applications are executed in 64-bit mode, which processes more data per clock cycle, allows greater access to memory, and speeds numeric calculations. The end result is a platform that leverages the existing wealth of 32-bit applications while also providing a smooth migration path to 64-bit computing.