SHARE
Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp

IBM Acquires Virtualization Vendor Transitive for QuickTransit

IBM has announced it will acquire virtualization company Transitive — the maker of QuickTransit software IBM has used to allow Linux and x86-based applications to run on RISC processors. The acquisition is designed to further IBM’s strategy of boosting demand for its RISC-based Power systems. Transitive’s QuickTransit dynamically translates native code between architectures, enabling applications […]

Nov 20, 2008
Channel Insider content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

IBM has announced it will acquire virtualization company Transitive — the maker of QuickTransit software IBM has used to allow Linux and x86-based applications to run on RISC processors.

The acquisition is designed to further IBM’s strategy of boosting demand for its RISC-based Power systems.

Transitive’s QuickTransit dynamically translates native code between architectures, enabling applications compiled for one processor to be run on another without modification. Apple is one of the best-known users of QuickTransit, on which Apple built its Rosetta translation system that allowed users of Intel Macs to seamlessly run legacy PowerPC applications. Sun Microsystems is another licensee.

Since January, IBM has been using Transitive software as part of its PowerVM Lx86 solution for running unmodified Linux/x86 applications on its System p servers.

IBM said in a statement it intends to use QuickTransit to help customers consolidate their Linux-based x86 applications onto Power servers. It is part of IBM’s aggressive campaign to push the enterprise computing market to migrate to Power systems, the company said, which will reduce operating expenses.

While in some cases using Transitive’s technology could effect cost savings, it might not result in an across-the-board success. Often, sources say, performance suffers and code translation requires much greater memory usage than if the code were executed on its native platform.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. IBM expects to complete the acquisition in December, the company says.
 

Recommended for you...

June Roundup: M&A Moves Across the Shifting Channel Landscape
Jordan Smith
Jul 7, 2025
Leadership Roundup: New CEOs Highlight June Moves
Jordan Smith
Jul 2, 2025
Workspan AI Looks to Solve Channel Ecosystem Complexity
Victoria Durgin
Jun 25, 2025
May Roundup: Mergers and Acquisitions From Around the Channel
Jordan Smith
Jun 2, 2025
Channel Insider Logo

Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.