According to the New York Times Intel plans to invest $75 million in Mirantis, a startup that sells cloud computing software based on OpenStack, and to spend another $25 million on internal OpenStack initiatives. Intel had previously invested in Mirantis in 2013 and 2014 as well.
Analysts note that the trend toward cloud computing means that a few cloud vendors are buying the bulk of the servers in the market, which reduces the number of potential customers for Intel’s server chips. Supporting the open source OpenStack technology could be a way to encourage eenrprises to build their own private clouds and ensure a larger customer base for Intel.
Speaking about the Mirantis investment, Diane M. Bryant, a senior vice president of Intel, told the Times, “My job is to try and get things moving. Intel has a long history of being able to drive standards and getting everyone to move together.” She added, “You’d be surprised how much money I have for this.”
