Microsoft grabs Fungible to enhance data center and Azure cloud
Microsoft has confirmed its acquisition of Fungible in the latest powerful deal to advance its Azure cloud computing platform.
Following reports in December 2022 of a potential deal and previous proposals for a failed Meta takeover, Microsoft has now confirmed (opens in a new tab) acquiring the company in a move that will get them the company’s highly efficient, low-energy data processing units (DPUs).
In a statement about it website (opens in a new tab)Fungible explains that their DPUs were created in 2016 to deal with the inefficient execution of data-centric computations in server nodes, and they are now “proud” to be part of Microsoft. , the company says they share the same vision.
Microsoft buys Fungible and its DPUs
Girish Bablani, Vice President of Azure Core Corporate, detailed that “Fungible technologies help create scalable, high-performance, scalable data center infrastructure, with reliability and security.”
He added: “Today’s announcement further signals Microsoft’s commitment to differentiated long-term investments in our data center infrastructure that enhance a wide range of technologies and services. Our offerings include reducing load, improving latency, increasing data center server density, optimizing energy efficiency, and reducing costs.”
However, Fungible is not alone in the market and faces stiff competition from several other tech giants including Nvidia and Intel. Microsoft’s acquisition will hopefully give it the support it needs as it continues to develop the DPU for use by Azure cloud services.
This could be a welcome boost to a relatively small company that was previously struggling, as Register (opens in a new tab) reports: “Fungible’s storage hardware has made it to VMware’s hardware compatibility list, its DPU has not.”
Microsoft’s exact plans for the company are still under review, and whether it adopts, redesigns, or shuts down Fungible entirely, we’ll most likely never be told.
For now, Bablani says that “the Fungible team will join Microsoft’s data center infrastructure engineering team and will focus on delivering multiple DPU solutions, network innovation, and hardware system enhancements.”