SPARC stands for Scalable Processor ARchitecture. The technology is based on pioneering research around RISC at the University of California, Berkeley. It has been the basis of Sun's premiere line of servers since its introduction as the first “pizza box” in 1989. That same year, Sun transferred the ownership of the SPARC specifications to SPARC International, who continues to license the technology and manage compliance testing for the trademark today. SPARC has had a long history of openness. Take a look at Dawn of OpenSPARC.