Intel makes cloud-computing play with Mirantis investment
Intel wants emerging cloud technology to be based on its chips
Intel is leading a $100-million funding round for Mirantis, a cloud-computing firm that specializes in working with OpenStack software.
The chipmaker is also partnering with Mirantis, in an effort to move into the cloud-computing space as more enterprises ditch their mainframe computers and decide to put their functions on the cloud.
OpenStack is the open source cloud operating system launched in July 2010 to provide an alternative to proprietary public cloud infrastructure vendors such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.
Mirantis is a Mountain View, California-based startup that can help Intel make sure its own chip technology dominates the OpenStack market.
Mirantis software enables about 50 computer servers to function in concert, creating one flexible machine. Intel has plans to help Mirantis raise that to 1,000 servers.
Many longtime Intel partners like Hewlett-Packard, Dell and IBM also make this kind of software, which has the advantage of being open source and thus adaptable to other cloud systems.
"Mirantis is an open platform where everyone can come in and not be guarded by proprietary walls. This is the only way to drive down cost and drive up features," Alex Freedland, Mirantis president and co-founder told TechCrunch.
Intel invested $10 million in Mirantis at an earlier stage and is leading a consortium with Goldman Sachs, August Capital, Insight Venture Partners, Ericsson and others to invest further in the company.
Many tech giants are making similar investments in cloud computing, seeing that the days of enterprise mainframes are disappearing.
Cisco Systems has swallowed five such cloud-related startups in the past 18 months and EMC, which specializes in storing data, has invested in Pivotal Software, which works on cloud products with its VMware partner.