ARM, ATIC, TI invest $48M in server chip startup

Mark Lapedus

August 16, 2010

Mark Lapedus

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Startup Smooth-Stone Inc. has raised $48 million from a  syndicate of investors, including ARM, Advanced Technology Investment Co. (ATIC) and Texas Instruments Inc.

The capital will be used to develop high-performance, low-power chips, said to ''change the server market and the makeup of data centers.'' Founded in 2008, Smooth-Stone (Austin, Texas) claims to bring ultra low power mobile phone technology to the data center.

The company has yet to announce a product, but it will most likely be based on ARM's technology. ''Smooth-Stone technology, combined with the industry-standard ARM architecture and tools, enables truly green data centers,'' according to the firm.  

Smooth-Stone funding partners include ARM, ATIC, Battery Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Highland Capital Partners and TI. The ATIC is a specialist investment company created by the government of Abu Dhabi.

The state of Texas announced the state will invest $250,000 in Smooth-Stone, through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF).

“Our goal is to completely remove power consumption as an issue for the data center,''said Smooth-Stone CEO Barry Evans, in a statement.

Evans was most recently vice president and general manager of Marvell’s Application Processing Business unit in the Cellular and Handheld Group, which was acquired from Intel. At that job, Evans was responsible for the Xscale product line. Prior to this, Evans served as Intel’s director of marketing for application processors responsible for Xscale and low power x86 customer engagements.

Larry Wikelius is co-founder and vice president of software engineering. Prior to joining Smooth-Stone, Wikelius was at Newisys, where he was vice president for server and storage strategic alliances. David Borland is the co-founder and vice president of hardware engineering at Smooth-Stone.

The Smooth-Stone board now comprises of the following individuals; Evans; Tom Lantzsch, executive vice president and corporate development of ARM; Daniel Durn, executive director of ATIC; Ken Lawler, general partner of Battery Ventures; David Aronoff, general partner of Flybridge Capital Partners; Sean Dalton, general partner of Highland Capital Partners; and Howard Bubb, semiconductor industry executive.