SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Altera Corporation and BlueArc today announced a technology sharing partnership that will enable BlueArc to continue delivering high-performance networked attached storage (NAS) systems powered by the latest FPGAs from Altera. BlueArc is the developer of the SiliconServer architecture and the world's only NAS server designed to scale from 1-Gbps to tomorrow's 10-Gbps networks. Altera's programmable devices enable BlueArc's systems, including the recently announced Si8000 SiliconServer family, to deliver the performance and reliability of hardware with the flexibility of software. The partnership includes the sharing of product roadmaps between the two companies, providing BlueArc with early access to advanced FPGAs that meet the exact needs of their future product architectures. "Altera FPGAs are at the heart of BlueArc's SiliconServer architecture," said Geoff Barrall, chief technology officer at BlueArc. "By ensuring our early access to the most advanced FPGA technology like Stratix devices, this strategic agreement reinforces BlueArc's commitment to innovation in the NAS market. In addition, the FPGAs' reconfigurability is at the foundation of our SiliconUpdate capability, allowing us to continue to add features to our existing SiliconServer customer base, further extending their ROI." The FPGA Advantage By implementing software routines in Altera FPGAs instead of running them on microprocessors, BlueArc's SiliconServer architecture is built to deliver data storage and bandwidth at the speed of silicon. To add capacity for new routines and features in the second-generation Si8000 SiliconServer family, BlueArc increased the number and processing power of Altera FPGAs. The reprogrammable hardware-based nature of these new features, which include Virtual Volumes, Accelerated Data Copy (ADC), quotas, and snapshots, provides benefits not possible in microprocessor-based storage systems. For example, ADC provides volume-to-volume or server-to-server copying at consistent wire speeds regardless of other server activity, unlike microprocessor-bound storage systems that show a dramatic decrease in speed with increased activity. Additionally, FPGA reconfigurability allows ADC and other new features of BlueArc's Si8000 family to be available to the prior generation Si7500 SiliconServers via BlueArc's SiliconUpdate 2.0. SiliconUpdate 2.0 can be downloaded and installed over the network, adding value to and extending the product lifetime of all products based on the SiliconServer architecture. "BlueArc's SiliconServer family embodies the kind of uncompromising, forward-looking product that is required for success in today's rapidly evolving storage market," said Jordan Plofsky, senior vice president of applications business groups at Altera. "Our agreement with BlueArc is representative of our commitment to delivering the best programmable logic solutions to the storage industry, and reinforces our position as a leading supplier to storage equipment manufacturers."