Sparsix

Sparsix Corporation, an early-stage US-Russia technology firm, was founded in 2005. The Sparsix R&D team, which is based near Moscow, is comprised of mathematicians, electrical engineers and programmers. The business team, directed by Starboard Ventures, is based in California.

Sparsix is developing technology that addresses one of the most difficult problems in high-performance computing – analyzing sparse data. Sparse data is a particularly challenging phenomenon that is often encountered in computer simulations of real-world physical events. Everything from virtual car crash testing, to simulating the airflow and thermal characteristics of a jet engine, to modeling industrial chemical reactions depends on computer simulation techniques that frequently involve sparse data.

By its very nature, sparse data wreaks havoc on computer memory controllers, causing massive cache misses and serious performance degradation for the entire system. Sparsix’s innovative technology tackles this problem through two primary features: an intelligent memory controller that solves the problem of sparse-data related cache misses, and hardware-based acceleration of the key algorithms involved in sparse data analysis.

This “sparse system accelerator” will provide real benefits to customers in a wide variety of industries including automotive, aerospace and defense, oil and gas exploration and production and other large, global markets. Working closely together, the Sparsix R&D team and business team have identified several key vertical markets within these large global industries and are creating specific solutions with these markets in mind.