Fusion-io
Encyclopedia
Fusion-io is a computer hardware and software systems company based in Cottonwood Heights, Utah
, that designs and manufactures what it calls a new memory tier based on NAND Flash memory
technology. It was named the number one promising information technology company by The Wall Street Journal
in March 2010.
Founded in 2006 and producing products by 2007, it attracted attention in February 2009 by hiring Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak
as its chief scientist.
, IBM
, Dell
, and Supermicro
, which is due in part to its server-centric architecture called ioMemory. IBM’s project Quicksilver, based on Fusion-io technology, showed that solid-state technology in 2008 could deliver the fastest performance of its time: 1 million IOPS
. As of December 2009, IBM has offered the High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapter, based on the ioDrive
, as the only PCIe-based solid-state storage solution for use in IBM servers. HP worked with Fusion-io to create the IO Accelerator
specifically for HP's BladeSystem C-Series servers in March 2009.
of funding
from a group of investors led by New Enterprise Associates
. Michael Dell
invested in Fusion-io during this round.
Just over one year later, Fusion-io raised $47.5 million in a Series B round of funding from a group of investors led by Lightspeed Venture Partners
in April 2009. Samsung
later invested in Fusion-io in October 2009, signaling a deeper partnership between the two companies.
A third round of funding led by Meritech Capital Partners
, with additional capital from Accel Partners
and Andreessen Horowitz
, provided a total of $45 million in April 2010 to help Fusion-io's expansion.
On March 9, 2010, Fusion-io filed with the SEC to raise up to $150 million in an initial public offering.
On June 7, 2011, Fusion-IO announced that it increased the price of its IPO to $16 to $18 per share, which put the company's total value at $1.4 billion. The company had previously priced its shares at $13 to $15 per share, which valued the company at as much as $1.17 billion.
Chosen “No. 1 innovation up-and-comer in the world” by BusinessWeek reader poll.
Awarded Demo God in 2007 for ioDrive and ioMemory, and the following year for ioSAN.
Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Cottonwood Heights is a city located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, along the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley. It lies south of the cities of Holladay and Murray, east of Midvale, and north of Sandy within the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. Following a successful...
, that designs and manufactures what it calls a new memory tier based on NAND Flash memory
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
technology. It was named the number one promising information technology company by The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
in March 2010.
Founded in 2006 and producing products by 2007, it attracted attention in February 2009 by hiring Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
as its chief scientist.
OEM partnerships
Fusion-io has partnerships with Hewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
, and Supermicro
Supermicro
Super Micro Computer, Inc. or Supermicro designs, develops, manufactures and sells servers based on the x86 architecture. The company's offerings include rackmount, tower server and blade server systems, high-end workstations, storage server systems, motherboards, chassis, and server components...
, which is due in part to its server-centric architecture called ioMemory. IBM’s project Quicksilver, based on Fusion-io technology, showed that solid-state technology in 2008 could deliver the fastest performance of its time: 1 million IOPS
IOPS
IOPS is a common performance measurement used to benchmark computer storage devices like hard disk drives , solid state drives , and storage area networks...
. As of December 2009, IBM has offered the High IOPS SSD PCIe Adapter, based on the ioDrive
IOdrive
ioDrive is a Solid-state drive created by Fusion-io that connects to the PCI Express x4 slot on a Motherboard. The drives come in 160GB, 320GB, and 640GB capacities. Fusion-io claims speeds of up to 770 MB/s Read and 750 MB/s Write for their 160GB Model....
, as the only PCIe-based solid-state storage solution for use in IBM servers. HP worked with Fusion-io to create the IO Accelerator
IO Accelerator
The IO Accelerator is a type of solid-state drive offered in a mezzanine card form factor for HP's BladeSystem c-Class servers...
specifically for HP's BladeSystem C-Series servers in March 2009.
Finance & Funding
In March 2008, Fusion-io raised $19 million in a Series A roundSeries A round
A Series A round is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture funding in the Silicon Valley model of startup company formation....
of funding
Venture round
A venture round is a type of funding round used for venture capital financing, by which startup companies obtain investment, generally from venture capitalists and other institutional investors. The availability of venture funding is among the primary stimuli for the development of new companies...
from a group of investors led by New Enterprise Associates
New Enterprise Associates
New Enterprise Associates is a global investment firm focused on venture capital and growth equity investments. With approximately $11 billion in committed capital, NEA is among the largest venture firms. The firm invests in three broad industry sectors: information technology, healthcare, and...
. Michael Dell
Michael Dell
Michael Saul Dell is an American business magnate and the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Dell Inc. He is the 44th richest person in the world, with a net worth of US$14.6 billion in 2011, based primarily on the 243.35 million shares of Dell stock worth $3.5 billion that he owns,...
invested in Fusion-io during this round.
Just over one year later, Fusion-io raised $47.5 million in a Series B round of funding from a group of investors led by Lightspeed Venture Partners
Lightspeed Venture Partners
Lightspeed Venture Partners is a venture capital firm focusing on early stage investments in IT companies.The firm is based in Menlo Park, California and has raised approximately $2 billion of investor capital since inception across eight venture funds....
in April 2009. Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
later invested in Fusion-io in October 2009, signaling a deeper partnership between the two companies.
A third round of funding led by Meritech Capital Partners
Meritech Capital Partners
Meritech Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused on late stage venture capital investments in information technology companies with a focus on consumer Internet and media, software and services, enterprise infrastructure, and medical devices....
, with additional capital from Accel Partners
Accel Partners
Accel Partners is a global venture and growth equity firm funding companies from inception through the growth stage.The firm is based in Palo Alto, California with major offices in Bangalore, Beijing, London, and Shanghai....
and Andreessen Horowitz
Andreessen Horowitz
Andreessen Horowitz is a venture capital firm founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. The company's headquarters is in Menlo Park, California.The venture capital fund was started in June 2009 with an initial capital of $300 million....
, provided a total of $45 million in April 2010 to help Fusion-io's expansion.
On March 9, 2010, Fusion-io filed with the SEC to raise up to $150 million in an initial public offering.
On June 7, 2011, Fusion-IO announced that it increased the price of its IPO to $16 to $18 per share, which put the company's total value at $1.4 billion. The company had previously priced its shares at $13 to $15 per share, which valued the company at as much as $1.17 billion.
Nods
Chosen as Red Herring Top 100 Global Company in February 2009.Chosen “No. 1 innovation up-and-comer in the world” by BusinessWeek reader poll.
Awarded Demo God in 2007 for ioDrive and ioMemory, and the following year for ioSAN.
External links
- www.fusionio.com Fusion-io's Official web-site