OWC buys OpenDrives to build end-to-end media storage stack
What's the deal? Other World Computing (OWC)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired OpenDrivesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a maker of software-defined video and rich media storage management solutions. Terms were undisclosed. The deal, announced September 10, 2026, brings OWC's headcount to more than 250 people worldwide.
What does each side do? OWC sells high-performance storage, memory, connectivity, and software for creative and business professionals. OpenDrives, founded in 2011, builds the Atlas data storage platform used by Hollywood studios, post-production houses, and live broadcast networks.
What's the endgame? OWC wants a single ecosystem spanning capture, production, collaboration, edge, hybrid cloud, and archive. OpenDrives' Atlas, Astraeus, and Edge products extend OWC's Jellyfish shared-storage line — acquired via LumaForgeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2021 — into enterprise-scale data management and hybrid cloud orchestration.
Why now? Media teams increasingly work across distributed locations and handle uncompressed 8K and 12K footage. OpenDrives shipped its Edge hybrid cloud accelerator in April 2026 and released its Astraeus cloud-native platform in beta in late 2025, with an updated version due in 2027.
What changes for customers? OpenDrives users gain access to OWC's direct-attached and shared storage, plus lower-cost archive and backup options. OWC customers get software-defined data services layered onto existing hardware.
What they're saying: "OWC now offers an end-to-end data ecosystem — from plug-and-play edit bays to global enterprise pipelines," said Trevor Morgan, chief executive officer of OpenDrives. OWC founder and chief executive officer Larry O'Connor said the deal connects storage "with powerful software-defined data management services."
The signal: The acquisition reflects a push to consolidate fragmented media workflows into unified stacks that stretch from the edit bay to hybrid cloud. As footage sizes balloon, storage vendors are racing to own the full pipeline rather than compete on single components.
Read more: finance.yahoo.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
