IBM and Walden International to Provide Fillip to Blade Ecosystem
In an effort to drive the global expansion of the blade industry, IBM is collaborating with venture capital firm Walden International. Blade.org also announced today the addition of seventeen new members, including top Intel OEMs and channel customers. IBM and Walden International are teaming to foster growth and accelerate innovation around IBM BladeCenter. Walden International plans to invest up to USD 100 million of its venture fund in BladeCenter ecosystem partners over the next five years. Over 50 percent of this investment will be focused on the Asian market. With committed capital of USD 1.6 billion, Walden International is known as the premier Asian venture capital company and was named Venture Capital Firm of the Year for Asia by Private Equity International in 2005.
"I'm a big believer in the future of the datacenter built on blades. Blades are solving fundamental problems in the datacenter, such as power and cooling issues, space restrictions and provide an excellent platform for virtualization," said Lip-Bu Tan, founder and chairman, Walden International. "IBM has taken a leadership role in the market with their forward-thinking design approach and collaborative approach to accelerate the market through an ecosystem of partners developing components and solutions for customers."
Blade.org also announced today that Intel OEMs and channel customers have joined the industry community supporting IBM BladeCenter.
