HP to end storage resale deal with Violin Memory

Hewlett-Packard plans to end its agreement selling solid-state storage devices made by Violin Memory, potentially complicating Violin Memory's plan for an initial public offering, Bloomberg reported. HP will wrap up its deal with Violin Memory, one of a growing number of companies selling high-performance solid-state drives, to focus on selling storage machines from 3PAR, which it agreed to buy in 2010 for $2.4 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing an HP spokeswoman.
HP spokesman Michael Thacker told Reuters: "HP 3PAR is our strategic platform for solid-state storage." He declined to comment further. Violin Memory, which could not be reached for comment, has been planning a stock listing for over a year. Retrieving data from flash memory chips is much faster and more energy efficient than from hard drives, which read data from spinning metal disks.