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Cisco snaps up Memoir Systems for faster networking gear

The networking giant wants to speed up its networking gear in order to make datacenters faster. Why does that matter? You know those cloud-based apps that you use...
Written by Zack Whittaker, Contributor
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Image: Cisco

Cisco said it has agreed to acquire Memoir Systems, a Santa Clara, California-based provider of memory intellectual property and technology.

In a blog post published Thursday, Cisco executive Hilton Romanski said the acquisition will enable a rapid push in "affordable, fast memory" for existing customized and specialist Cisco switch chips. 

This, Romanski said, will help Cisco open the next page on its application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) business, and thus meet next-generation IT needs.

Memoir Systems licenses soft-logic intellectual property, which can be used to speed up memory access tenfold. This is something Cisco said it needs in order to develop faster switches and routers, which often go straight into datacenters. 

That's particularly important as networking speeds begin to jump to 100 gigabit speeds — and faster. By making datacenter networking equipment faster, cloud-based applications will also perform better.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

This is the fifth acquisition Cisco has made this year, including Metacloud and Assemblage.

Memoir Systems employees will report to Cisco's Insieme division, which was formed from another acquisition in 2013, under Cisco senior vice president Mario Mazzola.

The deal is expected to close later this year.

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