Napatech
Napatech is a Danish developer of high-speed network accelerators and SmartNIC technology for real-time network monitoring, analysis, security, and optimization.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Napatech is a Danish networking-technology company that develops and manufactures high-speed network accelerators, including SmartNIC-oriented hardware designed for real-time traffic capture, monitoring, analysis, and processing. Its products are intended to operate in standard commercial servers, enabling original-equipment manufacturers and solution providers to build network-visibility and analytics systems without relying exclusively on proprietary server platforms. The company was founded in January 2003 by Danish IT entrepreneurs Jens Christophersen and Thomas Jørgensen. The founders identified a growing gap between the rapid expansion of Internet traffic and the ability of conventional server hardware to capture and process network data at line rate. They initially worked from an office at the Technical University of Denmark and raised approximately US$320,000 for development of a programmable 10GbE accelerator. Napatech announced its first 10-gigabit programmable Ethernet accelerator later in 2003, using FPGA technology, and subsequently established a presence in Silicon Valley through an office in Mountain View, California. Napatech's hardware is designed to offload demanding network-input/output and packet-processing tasks from general-purpose CPUs. Its technology emphasizes the capture of complete network traffic at full line rate and delivery without packet loss, capabilities that are important in applications where missing packets can compromise monitoring, security investigation, testing, or performance analysis. The company's products have supported network speeds ranging from 1 Gbit/s to 100 Gbit/s and have been offered in configurations with one, two, or four ports. The company's principal customers are OEMs and technology vendors rather than ordinary consumer buyers. Napatech accelerators can be incorporated into equipment and software platforms for network performance monitoring, deep packet inspection, test and measurement, cyber-security, traffic optimization, and service assurance. End markets identified for the technology include telecommunications, financial services, cloud and data-center operations, e-commerce, media, infrastructure, defense, and enterprise security. The company has described its installed base as exceeding 140,000 deployed ports. A significant expansion occurred in 2006, when Napatech agreed to acquire intellectual property and business assets from Xyratex related to Ethernet adapters. The transaction strengthened Napatech's position in programmable network acceleration and was followed by integration of the acquired business, reported revenue of approximately US$4 million, and an additional US$5 million capital raise from Northzone and Ferd Venture. Napatech later entered the Oslo Stock Exchange in December 2013. Its portfolio has historically included adapters covering 1GbE, 10GbE, 40GbE, and 100GbE environments, with product families incorporating features such as precision time synchronization and carrier-grade form factors. Napatech's business remains focused on specialized infrastructure hardware and the software ecosystem required to make high-volume network data available to monitoring, analytics, and security applications. The company is headquartered in Søborg, north of Copenhagen, and has maintained sales presence in the United States, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea.
History
Napatech was established in January 2003 by Jens Christophersen and Thomas Jørgensen, two Danish IT entrepreneurs. The founders initially operated from premises associated with the Technical University of Denmark and focused on the emerging problem of processing rapidly expanding Internet traffic. Their premise was that network data volumes were increasing faster than conventional server architectures could efficiently capture, inspect, and analyze the traffic. They also recognized that operators needed detailed visibility into network behavior in order to maintain service quality and optimize applications. The founders raised approximately US$320,000 to develop a programmable 10GbE accelerator. Napatech grew quickly during its first year and announced what it described as an early programmable 10-gigabit Ethernet accelerator in December 2003. The product used an FPGA-based architecture, allowing network-processing functions to be implemented in hardware and adapted for specialized monitoring and analysis requirements. Soon afterward, the company opened an office in Mountain View, California, giving it a foothold in the Silicon Valley market and supporting international commercial development. Napatech's core proposition developed around the use of dedicated network accelerators in standard servers. Rather than requiring a complete proprietary appliance, the company's cards could provide high-speed packet capture and processing within commercial off-the-shelf systems. The hardware was designed to offload network I/O and CPU-intensive tasks, in a manner analogous to the way graphics accelerators offload graphics calculations. This approach was particularly relevant to network monitoring, test and measurement, security, deep packet inspection, and performance optimization, where high traffic volumes and packet loss can undermine the usefulness of collected data. In February 2006, Napatech agreed to acquire intellectual property and business assets from Xyratex. The transaction expanded its Ethernet-adapter capabilities and helped raise the company's profile in programmable network acceleration. Napatech integrated the acquired Ethernet adapter business and subsequently reported approximately US$4 million in revenue in connection with the business. It also raised an additional US$5 million from Northzone and Ferd Venture, providing capital for further development and market expansion. Over the following years, Napatech broadened its product range from the original 10GbE design to adapters supporting speeds between 1 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s. By the first quarter of 2014, the company had produced more than 40 accelerator models. Product configurations included one-, two-, and four-port cards, as well as variants supporting precision timing and carrier-grade deployment requirements. The technical emphasis remained on capturing traffic at full line rate and delivering data without packet loss, while allowing monitoring and analytics software to run on standard server platforms. Napatech's customer model has primarily been business-to-business and OEM-oriented. Its accelerators have been incorporated into systems serving telecommunications operators, financial institutions, cloud and data-center providers, e-commerce and media companies, infrastructure and defense organizations, and enterprise security teams. The company has described its installed base as more than 140,000 deployed ports, indicating that its products are used as embedded components in broader network-visibility and security solutions rather than as consumer-facing branded devices. The company became publicly traded on the Oslo Stock Exchange in December 2013. Its headquarters are in Søborg, north of Copenhagen, while its international sales organization has included locations in the United States, São Paulo, Tokyo, and Seoul. Napatech's continuing identity is that of a specialized network-infrastructure supplier focused on programmable hardware acceleration, real-time traffic visibility, and the efficient delivery of large volumes of network data to monitoring, analytics, testing, and security applications.
- 2013
Oslo Stock Exchange listing
[1]Napatech enters the Oslo Stock Exchange in December.
- 2006
Xyratex Ethernet-adapter assets acquired
[1]Napatech agrees to acquire intellectual property and business assets from Xyratex, broadening its Ethernet-adapter business.
- 2003
Napatech is founded
[1]Jens Christophersen and Thomas Jørgensen establish Napatech in Denmark to develop programmable hardware for high-speed network monitoring and analysis.
- 2003
First programmable 10GbE accelerator announced
[1]Napatech announces an FPGA-based programmable Ethernet accelerator supporting 10GbE network traffic.
- 2003
First United States office established
[1]The company opens an office in Mountain View, California, to expand its presence in the Silicon Valley market.
Products and positioning
An OEM-focused specialist in programmable, high-throughput network acceleration, positioned around full-line-rate packet capture, zero-packet-loss delivery, hardware offload, and real-time visibility for monitoring, security, testing, and optimization workloads.
Network accelerators
100GbE network accelerators
Napatech's 100GbE cards are designed for very high-throughput packet capture, traffic analysis, monitoring, and security workloads. The portfolio includes one-port and two-port configurations and is intended for integration into standard servers used by OEMs and network-analytics providers.
Network accelerators
40GbE network accelerators
The 40GbE range provides hardware-assisted capture and processing for networks operating above traditional 10GbE speeds. These adapters are aimed at monitoring, test and measurement, security, and other applications requiring sustained traffic visibility with minimal packet loss.
Programmable Ethernet adapters · 2003
10GbE network accelerators
Napatech's original product category was a programmable 10GbE accelerator introduced in 2003. These cards use dedicated hardware to capture and deliver network traffic at line rate while reducing the processing burden placed on host-server CPUs.
Network interface adapters
1GbE multi-port accelerators
The 1GbE portfolio includes multi-port adapters intended for network monitoring, enterprise security, test systems, and carrier or infrastructure deployments. Several variants were offered with four ports and, in some cases, form factors suited to specialized environments.
Precision-time network adapters
Precision-timing adapters
Napatech product variants incorporating precision timing support are intended for applications where accurate correlation of packets and events across network interfaces is important, including telecommunications, financial services, measurement, and advanced monitoring systems.
Carrier-grade network adapters
NEBS-compliant adapters
NEBS-oriented Napatech adapters are designed for deployment requirements associated with telecommunications and network infrastructure equipment. They extend the company's accelerator proposition into carrier-grade environments where physical and operational compliance requirements are significant.
Brand decisions
2013
Public listing on the Oslo Stock ExchangeStrategyBackground
After developing a broad portfolio of network accelerators and an international OEM business, Napatech pursued access to public capital markets.
Action taken
Napatech entered the Oslo Stock Exchange in December 2013.
Aftermath
The listing gave Napatech public-company status and an Oslo-based market listing.
2006
Acquisition of Xyratex Ethernet-adapter assetsM&ABackground
Napatech sought to expand its capabilities and market position in programmable Ethernet acceleration.
Action taken
The company agreed to acquire intellectual property and business assets related to Xyratex's Ethernet-adapter business and integrated the operations.
Aftermath
The transaction increased Napatech's profile in programmable network accelerators and was followed by reported revenue from the integrated business and new investment.
Reported revenue and additional capital. Approximately US$4 million in revenue and US$5 million in additional capital raised (Following the 2006 Xyratex asset transaction)
2003
Launch of the first programmable 10GbE acceleratorProduct launchBackground
Napatech was founded around the need to process rapidly growing network traffic more efficiently than conventional server hardware could manage.
Action taken
The company announced an FPGA-based programmable Ethernet accelerator capable of supporting 10GbE traffic.
Aftermath
The launch established the product direction that shaped Napatech's later portfolio of high-speed network accelerators.
Recent events
Napatech announced Link Capture software update[2]
Reported:
Napatech announced a significant update to its Link Capture software, version 12.7, adding features including packet masking and packet slicing to address cybersecurity threats and data-sovereignty requirements.
Achronix and Napatech announce SmartNIC solutions partnership[3]
Reported:
Achronix announced a partnership with Napatech to create solutions combining Speedster7t FPGAs with Napatech software for SmartNIC designs.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/napatech · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled