Linux Networx

About Linux Networx

In the late 90s and early 2000s, high-performance computing (HPC) was dominated by expensive, proprietary supercomputers. But a Utah-based company, Linux Networx, saw a different path. Founded in 1999, with serial entrepreneur Bernard Daines as Chairman and CEO and Glen Lowry as President, the company championed a disruptive idea: building powerful supercomputing clusters using off-the-shelf hardware and the open-source Linux operating system. Their business was providing Linux-based HPC solutions for sectors like aerospace, government, and life sciences. Linux Networx specialized in making these complex systems easy to manage with their proprietary Clusterworx software. This approach offered a cost-effective and reliable alternative to traditional supercomputers, and the market responded. The company gained traction, placing numerous systems on the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful computers. They secured significant funding to fuel their growth, including a $37 million round in 2006 led by Lehman Brothers and Canaccord Genuity, bringing their total funding to $87 million. The company's journey culminated in a significant event for the HPC space. In February 2008, Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI), a giant in the supercomputing world, acquired Linux Networx. SGI wasn't just buying a product line; it was acquiring key technology, patents, and expertise in cluster design, power, and cooling. The move signaled a broader industry shift towards the affordable, scalable cluster architecture that Linux Networx had pioneered.