Indilinx
Indilinx was a South Korean-founded semiconductor company known for its Barefoot and Everest solid-state-drive controller platforms.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Indilinx, Inc. was a semiconductor company focused on controllers and firmware for solid-state drives (SSDs). Although it originated in South Korea, the company maintained business headquarters in San Jose, California, while its early corporate and research operations were based in the Seoul metropolitan area. Its principal commercial contribution was the Barefoot family of ARM-based SATA flash-storage controllers, which were adopted by SSD manufacturers and helped establish Indilinx as a recognized independent controller supplier during the early expansion of the consumer SSD market. The company was founded on October 19, 2006, by Bumsoo Kim, Guiyoung Lee, and Hyunmo Chung. Its first office was in Bundang, South Korea. In December of that year, Indilinx received venture-company certification from the KIBO Technology Fund, and in February 2007 it moved its advanced technology research center to Seongnam. The company's activities centered on storage-controller design, firmware, and related intellectual property rather than the manufacture of complete branded SSDs for end consumers. Indilinx's Barefoot controller became its best-known product family. It was designed for high-performance SATA solid-state drives and competed with contemporary solutions such as Intel's X25-M controller platform. SSDs using Barefoot were often positioned as relatively affordable alternatives while offering strong performance and broad retail availability. Drive-level results varied according to the NAND flash memory, firmware implementation, and manufacturer configuration, but the controller's support for features such as TRIM helped it remain competitive as operating systems and SSD workloads evolved. Indilinx announced a throughput target of 230 MB/s in August 2008, with availability planned for the fourth quarter of that year. As the SATA 2.0 interface increasingly constrained storage performance, Indilinx introduced the Everest controller family in July 2011 with support for the newer SATA revision 3.0 standard. This represented a shift toward higher interface bandwidth and a response to the rapid development of SSD performance. In March 2011, OCZ acquired Indilinx for approximately $32 million in OCZ common stock, including the company's intellectual property portfolio of about 20 patents and patent applications. Indilinx continued supplying controller products after the transaction, and its controller operation and approximately 45 employees remained under the leadership of founder and president Bumsoo Kim and chief technology officer Hyunmo Chung. Indilinx's independent corporate existence ended after OCZ Technology Group entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings on December 2, 2013. The assets of OCZ and its subsidiaries, including Indilinx, were sold to Toshiba in the bankruptcy process. Toshiba subsequently integrated the acquired controller assets into its newly established OCZ Storage Solutions division. OCZ Technology Group later changed its name to ZCO Liquidating Corporation, and the company and its subsidiaries, including Indilinx, were liquidated on August 18, 2014. Indilinx is therefore best understood as a defunct storage-technology company and controller brand whose intellectual property and engineering assets became part of Toshiba's SSD business.
History
Indilinx was founded on October 19, 2006, by Bumsoo Kim, Guiyoung Lee, and Hyunmo Chung. The company began in Bundang, South Korea, and received venture-company certification from the KIBO Technology Fund in December 2006. In February 2007, it moved its advanced technology research center to Seongnam. Its business was built around the design of flash-memory controllers and the firmware needed to operate SSDs, rather than around the sale of a broad consumer electronics portfolio. The company's best-known technology was the Barefoot controller family. Barefoot was an ARM-based SATA controller intended for high-performance SSDs. Drives using it were positioned as competitors to contemporary products such as Intel's X25-M, often combining competitive performance with lower prices and wider retail availability. Performance depended not only on the controller but also on the type and speed of NAND flash, drive firmware, and the implementation selected by each SSD manufacturer. Indilinx controllers nevertheless became visible in the growing enthusiast and consumer SSD market, where features such as TRIM support were increasingly important. Indilinx announced a 230 MB/s rate in August 2008 and expected products using the technology to become available in the fourth quarter of that year. The rapid evolution of SSDs created pressure to move beyond the limitations of SATA 2.0. In July 2011, Indilinx released the Everest controller family with support for SATA revision 3.0. The new series was intended to provide greater interface bandwidth for faster solid-state storage and marked a new generation of the company's controller technology. Indilinx was acquired by OCZ in March 2011. The transaction involved approximately $32 million in OCZ common stock and included about 20 patents and patent applications. After the acquisition, Indilinx continued producing and supplying controller products. Its controller business and roughly 45 employees remained under founder and president Bumsoo Kim and chief technology officer Hyunmo Chung, preserving a degree of operational continuity within OCZ's broader storage business. The parent company's financial difficulties ultimately ended Indilinx as an independent operation. On December 2, 2013, Indilinx entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings together with OCZ Technology Group. In the resulting bankruptcy sale, Toshiba acquired the assets of OCZ and its subsidiaries, including Indilinx. Toshiba integrated the acquired controller assets into the newly formed OCZ Storage Solutions division. OCZ Technology Group subsequently changed its name to ZCO Liquidating Corporation, and the company and its subsidiaries, including Indilinx, were liquidated on August 18, 2014. The Indilinx name consequently survives primarily as a historical SSD-controller brand and as part of the technology and intellectual-property lineage absorbed into Toshiba's storage operations.
- 2014
Assets transferred to Toshiba
[1]Toshiba acquires Indilinx's assets through the OCZ bankruptcy sale and integrates them into OCZ Storage Solutions.
- 2014
Liquidation
[1]ZCO Liquidating Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Indilinx, are liquidated on August 18.
- 2013
Chapter 11 filing
[1]Indilinx and OCZ Technology Group file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on December 2.
- 2011
Acquisition by OCZ
[1]OCZ acquires Indilinx and its controller intellectual property for approximately $32 million in OCZ common stock.
- 2011
Everest controller generation
[1]Indilinx releases the Everest controller family with SATA revision 3.0 support.
- 2008
Barefoot performance announcement
[1]Indilinx announces a 230 MB/s rate for its controller technology, with availability planned for the fourth quarter.
- 2007
Research center moves to Seongnam
[1]The company moves its advanced technology research center to Seongnam, South Korea.
- 2006
Indilinx is founded
[1]Bumsoo Kim, Guiyoung Lee, and Hyunmo Chung establish Indilinx on October 19 in South Korea.
- 2006
Venture-company certification
[1]Indilinx receives venture-company certification from the KIBO Technology Fund in December.
Products and positioning
A specialist SSD controller supplier that competed through controller performance, firmware features, cost efficiency, and adoption by third-party drive manufacturers.
SSD controller · 2008
Barefoot
Barefoot was Indilinx's principal ARM-based SATA controller family for solid-state drives. It was used by third-party SSD manufacturers in products that competed with contemporary high-performance drives, including Intel's X25-M. Its market appeal came from a combination of performance, relatively low system cost, retail availability, and firmware features such as TRIM support when implemented and released by the relevant drive manufacturer. Results differed across products because NAND flash and firmware configurations varied.
SSD controller · 2011
Everest
Everest was a later Indilinx controller family introduced for the next phase of SSD interface development. It supported the SATA revision 3.0 protocol, responding to the growing problem that SATA 2.0 could limit the performance of newer solid-state storage. Everest represented Indilinx's effort to extend its controller portfolio toward higher-bandwidth SSD designs before the company's assets were absorbed through OCZ's bankruptcy sale.
Brand decisions
2014
Transfer of assets to ToshibaM&ABackground
The OCZ bankruptcy process required the sale of the parent company's assets and those of its subsidiaries.
Action taken
Toshiba purchased Indilinx-related assets and integrated them into the newly established OCZ Storage Solutions division.
Aftermath
Indilinx no longer operated as an independent company, and its remaining corporate entities were later liquidated.
2013
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filingOtherBackground
Indilinx's parent, OCZ Technology Group, faced financial distress and entered bankruptcy proceedings.
Action taken
Indilinx filed for Chapter 11 protection together with OCZ Technology Group on December 2.
Aftermath
The company's assets were sold to Toshiba and later integrated into OCZ Storage Solutions; the Indilinx business was ultimately liquidated.
2011
OCZ purchases IndilinxM&ABackground
OCZ sought to obtain controller technology and related intellectual property as SSD performance and component integration became strategically important.
Action taken
OCZ acquired Indilinx for approximately $32 million in OCZ common stock, including about 20 patents and patent applications.
Aftermath
Indilinx continued supplying controller products within OCZ, with its business and approximately 45 employees remaining under its existing technical leadership.
Transaction consideration. Approximately $32 million in OCZ common stock (March 2011)
2011
Introduction of the Everest controller familyGeneration changeBackground
The increasing performance of SSDs made SATA 2.0 a potential interface bottleneck.
Action taken
Indilinx released Everest controllers supporting the SATA revision 3.0 protocol.
Aftermath
Everest became the company's newer controller generation, although Indilinx later ceased to exist as an independent business after OCZ's bankruptcy.
Recent events
- 2014
Toshiba acquires Indilinx assets through OCZ bankruptcy sale[1]
M&A
Toshiba acquired the assets of OCZ and its subsidiaries, including Indilinx, and integrated the controller assets into OCZ Storage Solutions.
- 2013
OCZ and Indilinx enter Chapter 11 proceedings[1]
Bankruptcy
Indilinx filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection alongside its parent company, OCZ Technology Group.
- 2011
OCZ acquires Indilinx[1]
M&A
OCZ acquired Indilinx, including approximately 20 patents and patent applications, in a transaction valued at about $32 million in OCZ common stock.
- 2011
Indilinx launches the Everest SATA 3.0 controller family[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Indilinx introduced the Everest controller series with support for the SATA revision 3.0 interface, addressing the bandwidth limitations of SATA 2.0.
- 2008
Indilinx announces 230 MB/s controller performance[1]
Product launch
The company announced a 230 MB/s performance rate for its controller technology and planned availability in the fourth quarter of 2008.
- 2006
Indilinx is established in South Korea[1]
Other
Bumsoo Kim, Guiyoung Lee, and Hyunmo Chung founded Indilinx as a developer of solid-state-drive controller technology.
Sources1 sources
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