 | |
 Adaptec HQ | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq: ADPT[1] | |
| Industry | Computer storage |
| Founded | 1981; 44 years ago (1981) |
| Founder | Larry Boucher |
| Defunct | June 8, 2010 (2010-06-08) |
| Fate | Acquired byPMC-Sierra |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | RAID,host adapter |
Adaptec, Inc., was acomputer storage company and remains a brand for computer storage products. The company was an independent firm from 1981 to 2010, at which point it was acquired byPMC-Sierra, which itself was later acquired byMicrosemi, which itself was later acquired byMicrochip Technology.
Larry Boucher, Wayne Higashi, and Bernard Nieman founded Adaptec in 1981.[2] At first, Adaptec focused on devices withParallel SCSI interfaces. Popularhost bus adapters included the 154x/15xxISA family, the 2940PCI family, and the 29160/-320 family. Their cross-platformASPI was an earlyAPI for accessing and integrating non-disk devices liketape drives,scanners andoptical disks. With advancements in technology,RAID functions were added while interfaces evolved toPCIe andSAS.
Adaptec made a number of acquisitions in the 1990s to expand their reach in the SCSI peripheral market. In March 1993, they acquiredTrantor Systems Ltd. ofFremont, California, for $10 million.[3] In July 1995, they acquiredFuture Domain Corporation ofIrvine, California, for $25 million.[4] In 1999, they acquiredDistributed Processing Technology for $236 million.[5][6]
On May 10, 2010,PMC-Sierra, Inc. and Adaptec, Inc. announced they had entered into a definitive agreement of PMC-Sierra acquiring Adaptec's channel storage business on May 8, 2010, which included Adaptec'sRAID storage product line, the Adaptec brand, a global value added reseller customer base, board logistics capabilities, and SSD cache performance solutions.[7] The transaction was expected to close in approximately 30 days, subject to customary closing conditions.[8] Following the sale, Adaptec would retain its AristosASIC technology business, certain real estate assets, more than 200 patents, and approximately $400 million in cash and marketable securities.[9][10]
On June 8, 2010, PMC-Sierra and Adaptec announced the completion of the acquisition.[11][12] PMC-Sierra renamed the channel storage business "Adaptec by PMC". PMC-Sierra was in turn acquired byMicrosemi in January 2016.[13]
The old Adaptec, Inc. changed its name to ADPT Corporation,[14] and then again to Steel Excel, Inc.[15] Steel Excel is now aninvestment firm.
Adaptec produced interface products involvingSCSI,USB,IEEE 1394 (Firewire),iSCSI,Fibre Channel, and video.[16] Adaptec once produced CD- and DVD-burning software under the brand names ofEasy CD Creator andToast, as well asnetwork-attached storage devices such as theSnap Server product line.
The Adaptec brand is used to sell host bus adapters, RAID adapters, SAS expander cards, cables, and accessories.[17]
1981 [...] Larry Boucher founds Adaptec Inc.
Adaptec is one of several companies selling kits for converting analog tapes to digital video at affordable prices.
