Multiple bidders are currently running for the FastScale acquisition, as virtualization.info has learned from mutliple sources.
FastScale is a US startup launched almost one year ago, funded by ATA Ventures, Leapfrog Ventures and Hunt Ventures, which offers an innovative approach to reduce the overall virtual machine size.
In the last two years, much before the public launch, the company tightly worked with VMware, probably to shape its solution in a way that would fit the virtualization giant’s strategy for virtual appliances.
This is the reason why virtualization.info (wrongly) speculated a FastScale acquisition by VMware in January 2008.
It’s unknown if VMware is part of the ongoing acquisition bid now. The only name reported so far is Sun.
The other FastScale partners (HP, IBM, Microsoft and Red Hat) may be part of the bid as well.