Cavium

Cavium, Inc., originally known as Cavium Networks, was a semiconductor company that designed and marketed processors and related technologies for networking, security, and data-center applications. The company specialized in multi-core, multi-threaded network processors and ARM-based system-on-chips (SoCs) for high-throughput networking gear, as well as hardware cryptographic accelerators. Its OCTEON line of network processors provided packet processing, security, and quality-of-service features used in routers, switches, load balancers, and other network equipment. In addition, Cavium developed the ThunderX family of ARM-based server processors aimed at data-center and cloud workloads, delivering high-core-count CPUs with integrated networking and security features. The company also offered software toolchains, development kits, reference designs, and security accelerators to support integration.

Cavium was founded in 2001 and was headquartered in San Jose, California, with engineering and sales operations worldwide. It served customers in telecommunications, enterprise networking, and cloud infrastructure sectors, collaborating with original equipment manufacturers to deliver integrated networking solutions.

In 2018, Cavium was acquired by Marvell Technology Group for about $6 billion in cash and stock, with the transaction closing later that year. The acquisition expanded Marvell’s portfolio in data-center, networking, and storage markets, and Cavium’s product lines, including OCTEON and ThunderX technologies, were integrated into Marvell’s broader product families.