MAM
Storj Acquires PetaGene, Creator of Distributed Mount Client cunoFS, to Enhance Capabilities for AI and Data-Intensive Industries
ATLANTA and CAMBRIDGE, England – Today Storj announces the acquisition of PetaGene, creator of cunoFS, to build on growth propelled by Storj’s recent acquisition of distributed GPU provider, Valdi. With today’s news, Storj now delivers distributed cloud object storage, distributed on-demand GPU compute, and distributed file storage mount. Together, these capabilities provide seamless access to the distributed cloud for video and AI workloads, enhancing performance, security, cost, and carbon savings to more customers at the edge and around the world.
cunoFS was developed by PetaGene as a high-performance mount client, which is now poised to revolutionize cloud workflows for the data-heavy media and entertainment industry, and for users of all cloud platforms and object storage vendors. Adding to its Linux client, cunoFS launched a Windows-native client at IBC 2024, and its macOS-native client will launch later this year. PetaGene also provides secure, transparent, lossless compression to decrease the size of genomic data, reducing storage costs and data transfer times by 60% to 90% while giving faster access in the original file formats without a decompression step.
PetaGene works with leaders in genomics and clinical research including the NHS in England and Wales, AstraZeneca, NVIDIA, CeGaT, Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, the largest pediatric cancer center in Europe, and one of the top three children’s hospitals in the US. These data heavy arenas are ideally suited to benefit from this acquisition. Jacob Willoughby, Storj CTO, noted: “Storage is vital in AI training, and is seldom talked about. As models grow to include training on large amounts of image, video, and text, data grows significantly. The integration of cunoFS into our ecosystem marks a significant milestone in our goal to revolutionize cloud infrastructure for AI. cunoFS enables performant data loading with intelligent prediction of what will be needed in advance. By combining distributed storage and GPU with cunoFS’s high-performance file system, we’ve created an unparalleled platform for training and deploying large language models like LLaMA, GPT-4, and beyond.”
Vaughan Wittorff, Co-Founder and CCO of PetaGene said, “Thanks to this acquisition, more customers in sports and news broadcasting, post production, VFX studios and ad agencies can get up and running faster with a drag-and-drop, plug-and-play approach to accessing the benefits of distributed cloud object storage all over the world. We have strong complementary expertise and relationships in AI, genomics and more, and in terms of growth and market leadership – the sky is the limit for us as part of Storj. PetaGene’s current customer base uses their products to help manage 100s of PB of scientific data, and we look forward to serving even more of their storage, compute, and file needs in the years to come.”
This news brings the value of Storj to more users to set up and run projects even faster. cunoFS requires no additional configuration and doesn’t have a proprietary format that locks-in users like other file management systems. This democratizes data service, giving users more freedom, flexibility and speed.
“On the heels of the expansion we experienced as a result of bringing Valdi into the fold, we knew cunoFS was another close partner that would deliver its full potential as a part of Storj,” said Colby Winegar, Storj Chief Revenue Officer. “cunoFS satisfies a painful unmet need, the team is extremely talented and cunoFS creates great synergy with Storj – especially in M&E. Their product is a perfect solution for those who want fast, file system-based cloud storage. This acquisition also accelerates our joint efforts to advance and simplify AI learning and inference when utilizing our on-demand GPUs.”
Storj and cunoFS already work with joint customers including Cambridge University / DiRAC, and partners including Cambridge Computer, CineSys LLC and Tyrell. Brent Angle, CTO of media and broadcast systems integrator CineSys said, “cunoFS delivers highly responsive and POSIX compliant file system access to content on cloud or on-prem object storage platforms, without changing the data format. Combining cunoFS and Storj, creative professionals can access content in an instant, knowing it is protected in a non-proprietary format on the resilient, scalable and cost effective Storj platform. This is an extremely powerful joint solution already, and we look forward to the innovation their teams will bring to the market as a united entity.”
PetaGene will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Storj, and all current PetaGene employees will continue on as employees. PetaGene and Storj will continue to support all current PetaGene products and customers, and cunoFS will continue to be available for users of all object storage vendors and cloud platforms.
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Primus Partners appoints Akasa Air co-founder Neelu Khatri as independent director
Veteran aviation and defence professional joins as independent director
NEW DELHI: Primus Partners has appointed Neelu Khatri, a founding member of Akasa Air, as an independent director, strengthening the consulting firm’s board as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
Khatri brings more than three decades of experience across defence, aviation, aerospace technology and consulting. She was part of the core team that helped build Akasa Air from concept to launch, contributing to what has been widely described as one of the fastest airline scale ups in recent aviation history.
At Primus Partners, she will provide strategic guidance on corporate governance and help steer the firm’s long term growth plans. Her experience of building a start up into a full scale organisation is expected to support the consulting firm as it expands its footprint.
Primus Partners co-founder and chairperson Davinder Sandhu, said the appointment brings valuable expertise to the board. “Neelu’s journey across defence, aviation and consulting brings a rare blend of operational insight and strategic thinking. Her experience in rapidly scaling Akasa Air will be invaluable as we continue to grow while maintaining a strong focus on corporate governance,” he said.
Primus Partners, an India headquartered management consulting and solutions firm, has emphasised governance and board oversight since its early days. The company has also taken an unconventional approach by inviting its Gen Z employees to attend board meetings so that younger perspectives can contribute to discussions.
Speaking on her appointment, Khatri said the consulting sector is entering a transformative period shaped by emerging technologies. “The industry is evolving rapidly with the rise of AI. This is an exciting moment for an Indian origin consulting firm like Primus Partners to expand its product offerings and strengthen its presence globally,” she said.
She added that as the firm pursues ambitious expansion plans, her focus will be on ensuring strong governance frameworks and effective risk management as the organisation scales.
