“As chipmakers plunge into the world of multicore processors to increase performance, software companies are struggling to catch up.

The prevailing method of selling server software–based of the number of processors, or basic computing brains, that a computer has–is being made obsolete by changes in processor designs and server capabilities.

Chipmakers can now etch two-processor cores on to a single slice of silicon–and these dual-core processors are about to become mainstream. The new chips are far more powerful than current models and can efficiently handle multiple tasks. But whether a dual-core chip should count as one, two or more processors when tallying software licensing charges is the crux of the issue. Other new chip technologies could further blur the lines.

Software makers recognize the problem but so far can’t agree on a single solution. “People haven’t woken up to the software licensing implications of a lot of technology trends in hardware,” said Jonathan Eunice, an analyst at research and consulting firm Illuminata. “It’s not just technology–it affects business practices and buying patterns.” “