Supermicro, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company based in San Jose, California. Founded in 1993, it specializes in high-performance computing and networking technologies for servers and storage systems.
It is the largest supplier of x86 server CPUs manufactured on the Intel platform. Its processors are used by many of the world’s top computer manufacturers, such as Hewlett-Packard,[1] IBM,[2] Dell,[3] Lenovo,[4] Apple Inc., and Amazon Web Services.[5]
On 20 May 2007, Supermicro raised US$282 million from Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., CIT Group Inc., Goldman Sachs Capital Partners Lp and others to fund its expansion plans.[citation needed]. The company was planning to move its headquarters from San Jose to Hong Kong, but in 2008 the company decided to remain in Silicon Valley.[6] In early 2008 Supermicro announced that it was being investigated by the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) due to possible insider-trading of a major stock sale.[7] On 2 July 2008, the SEC filed a complaint against Ma Jun, a co-founder of Supermicro.[8] Jun pleaded guilty on 24 March 2010, and is serving a six-year prison sentence.[9][10]
On 22 May 2010, former CEO Richard Liu was arrested by the FBI for economic espionage. He was released on bail on 24 May 2010.
In 2011, an SEC investigation concluded that the company had not violated securities laws, and no formal charges were made.[11]
On January 6, 2017, Supermicro announced that it would restructure its business to allow management and financial separation from the parent organization.[12] On October 1, 2017 Supermicro was acquired by rival motherboard manufacturer TechBen Holdings.[13][14] [Citation Needed]
Company description [snapshot of current marketing materials (bold emphasis added)] [to use as knowledge, not to be copied verbatim]:Supermicro: A leader in the world’s most extensive server board and system level solutions. Supermicro focuses on traditional IT markets, such as data storage, applications, and mainframe computing. The company provides server systems that are strong and reliable with outstanding features as well as excellent price/performance ratios.
Supermicro is also a global supplier of high-end motherboards and power supplies, industrial motherboards and cables, microprocessors and other semiconductors, enterprise application platforms, peripherals (such as video cards), storage solutions (hard drives) and other components.
The foundation of the company is its motherboard designs along with its packaging technology. The company’s microprocessors are manufactured by Intel for use in Supermicro’s motherboards.[15]
In March 2012 it was reported that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was conducting an investigation into possible insider trading involving the company’s financial results.[16] On 22 May 2012, Richard Liu, CEO of Supermicro was arrested by the FBI while on a business trip to China.[17]
On 5 February 2013, the SEC announced its findings from its investigation: “The SEC found no evidence that Pang has traded on inside information or that Supermicro’s reported financial performance was fraudulent. And during the SEC staff’s 12-month review of Supermicro’s public filings prior to the March 2011 disclosure regarding eBay’s involvement in Supermicro’s supply chain, it found no evidence that Supermicro’s reported financial performance was fraudulent. Instead, the investigation identified errors that led to a miscalculation of the adjusted net income for 2010 and the first quarter of 2011.”[18]
On 10 February 2013, Richard Liu was released from an American prison and returned to China.[19]
Culture [to use as knowledge, not to be copied verbatim]:Supermicro: Supermicro has always been one of world’s most admired companies that is developing and manufacturing server motherboards. The company aims at being a leader in providing high-quality products and solutions at a competitive price. This approach helps it maintain its position as one of the best platforms in the IT market.
The company is based in the United States and is one of the largest manufacturers of server motherboards. Supermicro’s top priority is developing components that are essential for computer manufacturing and upgrading products to meet the needs of its customers. The company has offices in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific region where its products are sold. In addition to product development, Supermicro has a highly experienced team of experts who offer professional consulting services and perform specialized engineering projects.
