Software virtualisation company VMware yesterday agreed to acquire Bitfusion, a US-based artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure platform operator backed by electronics producer Samsung, for an undisclosed amount.
Founded in 2015, Bitfusion has developed software that helps companies more efficiently use AI technologies by virtualising computer hardware, such graphics processor units, field-programmable gate arrays and application-specific integrated circuits.
VMware will integrate Bitfusion’s technology into its own offering, strengthening the corporate’s ability to support AI and machine learning-based workloads.
Krish Prasad, senior vice-president and general manager at VMware’s cloud platform business unit, said: “Multi-vendor hardware accelerators and the ecosystem around them are key components for delivering modern applications. These accelerators can be used regardless of location in the environment – on-premises and/or in the cloud.”
In May 2018, Samsung Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of Samsung, invested an undisclosed amount in Bitfusion.
Vanedge Capital previously led the company’s $5m series A round in 2017 investing alongside Sierra Ventures, Data Collective, Resonant VC and Geekdom. The latter three investors had previously backed a $1.4m seed round in 2015.