Adaptec

American computer storage company

Adaptec, Inc.

Adaptec HQ

Company type| Public

Traded as

| Nasdaq: ADPT[1]
Industry| Computer storage
Founded| 1981; 44 years ago (1981)
Founder| Larry Boucher
Defunct| June 8, 2010 (2010-06-08)
Fate| Acquired by PMC-Sierra
Headquarters|

Milpitas, California

United States

Products| RAID, host adapter

Adaptec, Inc., was a computer 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 by PMC-Sierra, which itself was later acquired by Microsemi, which itself was later acquired by Microchip Technology.

## History

[edit]

Adaptec ACB-4000A SASI card from 1985.

Larry Boucher, Wayne Higashi, and Bernard Nieman founded Adaptec in 1981.[2] At first, Adaptec focused on devices with Parallel SCSI interfaces. Popular host bus adapters included the 154x/15xx ISA family, the 2940 PCI family, and the 29160/-320 family. Their cross-platform ASPI was an early API for accessing and integrating non-disk devices like tape drives, scanners and optical disks. With advancements in technology, RAID functions were added while interfaces evolved to PCIe and SAS.

Adaptec made a number of acquisitions in the 1990s to expand their reach in the SCSI peripheral market. In March 1993, they acquired Trantor Systems Ltd. of Fremont, California, for $10 million.[3] In July 1995, they acquired Future Domain Corporation of Irvine, California, for $25 million.[4] In 1999, they acquired Distributed 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's RAID 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 Aristos ASIC 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 by Microsemi 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 was an investment firm that then merged with Handy & Harman Ltd. to form Steel Partners, a conglomerate.

## Products

[edit]

Adaptec produced interface products involving SCSI, USB, IEEE 1394 (Firewire), iSCSI, Fibre Channel, and video.[16] Adaptec once produced CD- and DVD-burning software under the brand names of Easy CD Creator and Toast, as well as network-attached storage devices such as the Snap Server product line.

The Adaptec brand is used to sell host bus adapters, RAID adapters, SAS expander cards, cables, and accessories.[17]

## Sources

[edit]

* The New York Times: November 2, 1999 – "Adaptec Looks To Strengthen Data-Storage Line"

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Adaptec, Inc. (ADPT) President and Chief Executive Officer to Ring the NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell". Nasdaq. December 12, 2006.
2. ^ Hunt, Laura (August 16, 1999). "1981". Technology Flashback. Computerworld. Vol. 33, no. 33\. p. 72\. ISSN 0010-4841. Retrieved June 4, 2024 – via Google Books. "1981 [...] Larry Boucher founds Adaptec Inc."
3. ^ "Adaptec Buys Trantor Systems". The Wall Street Journal: A5. March 2, 1993. ProQuest 398408965.
4. ^ Williams, Elisa (July 14, 1995). "Adaptec acquires Irvine-based Future Domain for $25 million". The Orange County Register: C2. ProQuest 272814070.
5. ^ "Adaptec Agrees to Acquire DPT for About $235 Million". The Wall Street Journal. November 1, 1999. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
6. ^ Staff writer (January 17, 2000). "While we were away". Electronics Times. Miller Freeman: 16. ProQuest 230512593.
7. ^ "PMC-Sierra Completes Acquisition of Adaptec Channel Storage Business" (Press release). PMC-Sierra. June 8, 2010. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
8. ^ "PMC-Sierra, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date May 10, 2010" (PDF). secdatabase.com. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
9. ^ "PMC-Sierra Announces Agreement to Acquire the Channel Storage Business From Adaptec". Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
10. ^ "Adaptec Announces $34 Million Sale of RAID Storage Business to PMC-Sierra Inc". Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
11. ^ "PMC-Sierra Completes Acquisition of Adaptec Channel Storage Business". Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
12. ^ "Adaptec Announces the Completion of the Sale of the Data Storage Business". Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
13. ^ "Investor Relations | Microchip Technology". Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
14. ^ "Adaptec Changes Its Name to ADPT Corporation". Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
15. ^ "ADPT Corporation Changes Name to Steel Excel Inc. and Completes Reverse/Forward Stock Split". Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
16. ^ Miller, Stephen (November 7, 2002). "News Watch: Digital Recorders; An Afterlife on Disc For That Fading Video". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2014. "Adaptec is one of several companies selling kits for converting analog tapes to digital video at affordable prices."
17. ^ "Products". Adaptec. Retrieved April 4, 2023.

## External links

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* Companies portal
* San Francisco Bay Area portal

* Funding Universe History of Adaptec