Formulus Black Advances In-Memory Computing

Formulus Black is looking to partner with systems builders after launching a distribution of Linux that enables applications to run entirely in memory.

As the amount of processor horsepower and memory being made available continues to increase it’s becoming increasingly practical to run applications entirely in memory. The ForsaOS operating system developed by Formulus Black, formerly known as Symbolic IO, enables DRAM to be employed as a form of persistent storage for those applications, thereby eliminating the need to persistently store data on a drive. That approach makes it possible to store that data as close to multicore processors as possible.

To enable DRAM to function as a form of persistent storage Formulus Black employs algorithms that transform native data into the company’s own Formulus Bit Markers (FbMs) language to encode data. That not only provides a way to store data, it also shrinks data in a way that allows more data to be stored in memory, says Wayne Rickard, chief marketing officer and chief strategy officer for Formulus Black. Moreover, those algorithms continuously identify patterns to further reduce the size of data stored in DRAM, adds Rickard.

“The algorithm detects those patterns in real time,” says Rickard.

Formulus already has tested its operating system for Intel-based systems and plans to certify machines using AMD processors shortly, says Rickard. The company has also formed technology alliances with Dell Technologies, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE), and Super Micro. Now Formulus Black is looking to extend its channel to systems builders that focus on high-performance applications running on custom platforms that are aimed at specific vertical industry segments.

System builders, of course, are always looking for a way to differentiate their systems. Most of that focus has naturally been on hardware. But as in-memory computing continues to gain traction it may turn out that the easiest way for systems builders to differentiate themselves going forward is through additional layers of software.