Intel Corp has joined a group of Norwegian investment and technology companies in providing second-round funding to Linux-based clustering software company Scali AS.

Oslo, Norway-based Scali is the developer of clustering software for the open source Linux operating system. The company has its roots in a defense research project from the mid-1990s, and in 1997 was spun off from Kronsberg Gruppen, a Norwegian technology vendor that focused on the maritime, defense and aerospace markets.

Scali's products include the Scali Universe cluster management system, the ClusterEdge clustering kit for OEMs and VARs and the ClusterLib native libraries for increased cluster performance. The company also ships TeraRack, which bundles its software with commodity compute nodes based on Intel, AMD, Alpha and Sparc processors. The company supports Red Hat Linux for x86, IA-64 or Alpha, SuSE Linux for x86, Sun's Solaris for Sparc and Intel and also Microsoft Windows NT/98/2000 as a front end.

Financial details of the investment have not been disclosed, although Scali has said it will use the funds for corporate development and to boost sales and marketing. The company already has a good list of customer reference sites that includes Daimler Chrysler, BMW, Lockheed Martin, US Naval Air and Rolls Royce.

Santa Clara, California-based Intel's funding was made through its Intel Investment strategic investment arm. Other investors include Scali's former parent, Kronsberg Gruppen, as well as Norwegian investment firms Four Seasons Venture and SND Invest.

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