The merger talks between DPU accelerator card builder Pliops and massively parallel DPU supplier Kalray have ended.
Israel-based Pliops is adding an AI feature set to its XDP (Extreme Data Processor) card. This product’s functionality provides key:value store technology whigh is designed to offload and accelerate low-level storage stack processing from a host x86 server for applications like RocksDB and RAID.
Pliops CEO Ido Bukspan said in a statement: “You are likely aware that we explored the possibility of joining forces with Kalray in a merger. Kalray’s impressive technology and mature products in systems and advanced computing would have greatly enhanced our GenAI system-level offerings.
“However, economic conditions – especially financial market trends – did not favor a capital-intensive merger that would align with our targets. Moving forward, the management teams of both companies will continue discussions to explore areas of cooperation and leverage synergies.”
What now? Bukspan claimed Pliops has a “bright future” because it can enable “organizations to achieve unprecedented levels of performance and efficiency in their AI-driven operations.”
The company is developing an XDP LightningAI product, “a Key-Value distributed smart storage node for the GPU Compute Domain.” It claims this can provide an up to 50 percent TCO reduction for large language model (LLM) inference workloads. It can also “maximize performance per power budget and enhance VectorDB,” Pliops said.
On X post, Pliops claimed: “Our Extreme Data Processor uses GPU key-value I/O to cut power usage & emissions.”
The hardware is not ready yet, however. Bukspan added: “Pliops LightningAI has gained significant traction with major customers and partners eagerly awaiting our demo based on our first silicon, which will be available soon.”
There will be a demo of XDP LightningAI at this week’s FMS 2024 event in Santa Clara, California.
Bukspan is still on the lookout for more partners, saying: “Partnerships that bring value to our customers and support our mission to enhance GenAI application efficiencies are integral to our business model. Kalray remains a valued partner, joining our other collaborators to deliver essential solutions that will yield amazing results in the coming months.”
