Intel is getting into the InfiniBand high-speed networking market in a big way today. Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) announced its intention to acquire InfiniBand technology assets from QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq:QLGC) for $125 million in cash. The deal is set to close by the end of this quarter.
InfiniBand offers the promise of higher networking speeds and lower latency than Ethernet. It is typically deployed in high performance computing (HPC) environments, though in recent years its’ use in the enterprise has grown thanks to Oracle, which uses InfiniBand in its engineered systems portfolio of products including Exalogic and Exadata.
Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Data Center and Connected System Group, told InternetNews.com that the high-end HPC market segment, sometimes also referred as supercomputers, represents a significant and growing opportunity for Intel.
“InfiniBand has been a growing fabric within the largest supercomputers in the world and Intel believes that end-users will benefit significantly with more competition and innovation in the InfiniBand and fabric ecosystem,” Skaugen said. “In addition, Intel believes there are longer term innovations available within next generation high-end supercomputer fabric as we drive Exascale computing by 2018, which this team will help accelerate.
“We believe Intel will have a comprehensive networking portfolio with our InfiniBand and Ethernet products,” Skaugen said.
Read the full story at EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet:
Intel Acquires InfiniBand
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist
