Mellanox

Mellanox Technologies Ltd. was an Israeli-based supplier of end-to-end interconnect solutions for data centers and high-performance computing. The company designed and manufactured InfiniBand and Ethernet adapters, switches, cables, and related software, serving cloud providers, hyperscale operators, research centers, and enterprise data centers. Its ConnectX family of network interface cards combined high-performance I/O with offload capabilities, while its Spectrum family provided Ethernet switches for data-center networks. Mellanox also offered software stacks such as OFED (OpenFabrics Alliance) and tools for clustering, storage, and performance optimization.

History: Founded in 1999 in Yokneam Illit, Israel, by Eyal Waldman and colleagues, Mellanox grew into a leading supplier of interconnects for HPC. The company completed an initial public offering on the Nasdaq in 2007 (ticker MLNX). In 2011 it acquired EZchip Technologies, expanding its portfolio with network processors and routing technology. Mellanox continued to expand its product lines through acquisitions and internal development, becoming a key supplier to supercomputers and large data centers.

Acquisition by Nvidia: In March 2020, Nvidia announced its agreement to acquire Mellanox for about $6.9 billion in an all-cash deal. The acquisition closed in April 2020, with Mellanox becoming part of Nvidia’s data-center and networking businesses. The integration extended Nvidia’s networking portfolio into InfiniBand and high-performance Ethernet technologies.

Products and impact: Mellanox’s interconnect solutions supported high-bandwidth, low-latency networks essential for HPC, AI workloads, and cloud-scale deployments. After the acquisition, Nvidia integrated Mellanox networking technologies into its data-center platforms, continuing to market Mellanox-branded products alongside Nvidia networking offerings.