OCZ
Defunct computer-hardware brand best known for enthusiast-oriented solid-state drives, power supplies, and other performance components.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
OCZ was a computer-hardware business and later a Toshiba-owned storage brand associated particularly with solid-state drives (SSDs). Its origins date to 2000, when Ryan Petersen operated The Overclockerz Store, a business selling overclocked AMD Athlon processors. The company expanded into memory and enthusiast computer components and was incorporated as OCZ Technology Group in 2002 by Petersen and Bhulinder Sethi. OCZ initially targeted computer enthusiasts seeking higher performance, overclocking capability, and specialized components. Its product range included performance DDR SDRAM, graphics cards, USB flash drives, cooling products, power supplies, and eventually a broad portfolio of consumer and enterprise SSDs. The company developed an international operating footprint, with offices or facilities connected to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Taiwan. It became publicly traded on London’s Alternative Investment Market in 2006 under the symbol OCZ and later moved its listing to NASDAQ in 2010. Power supplies became an important part of the business through the 2007 acquisition of PC Power & Cooling, a California manufacturer known for enthusiast and professional power-supply products. OCZ continued to operate that business and its product lines separately for a period while also introducing power supplies under the OCZ name. In storage, the company pursued increasingly ambitious designs, including the RevoDrive PCI Express product family, hybrid PCIe/SAS interface work under the High Speed Data Link name, and SSD technologies based on internally controlled flash-controller and firmware development. OCZ strengthened its storage capabilities through several acquisitions and technology purchases. It acquired Solid Data’s intellectual property relating to Fibre Channel, SAS, and SSD-controller assets in 2010, bought Indilinx in 2011, and acquired Sanrad’s flash-caching and virtualization technology in 2012. Indilinx gave OCZ greater control over SSD controller silicon and software, while the Sanrad transaction expanded its enterprise-storage and caching capabilities. The company also pursued storage-system development associated with PLX Technology’s former Oxford Semiconductor operations. The business nevertheless experienced serious financial and governance problems. It discontinued memory production by the end of fiscal 2010 as the DRAM market weakened. Its financial reporting was subsequently delayed and restated, while revenue declined sharply and losses increased. OCZ obtained a highly expensive secured loan from Hercules Technology Growth Capital, and failure to comply with the loan terms ultimately resulted in Hercules taking control of the company’s bank accounts. The board removed founder and chief executive Ryan Petersen in 2012 and appointed Ralph Schmitt as president and CEO. OCZ’s financial difficulties culminated in late 2013, when trading in its stock was halted and the company disclosed that it expected to seek bankruptcy protection. Toshiba agreed to acquire nearly all of OCZ Technology Group’s assets for approximately $35 million through the bankruptcy process. The transaction closed in January 2014, creating OCZ Storage Solutions as an independently operated Toshiba subsidiary. The former public company was renamed ZCO Liquidating Corporation and subsequently liquidated. PC Power & Cooling was sold to FirePower Technology in 2014. OCZ Storage Solutions was dissolved on April 1, 2016, with its operations absorbed into Toshiba America Electronic Components. OCZ products continued for a time as Toshiba-branded or OCZ-branded SSD offerings, but the OCZ name was eventually displaced as Toshiba reorganized its memory and storage business under the Kioxia structure. The historical OCZ brand is therefore defunct, although its technology and product heritage continued within Toshiba’s and later Kioxia’s storage operations.
History
OCZ began in 2000 as The Overclockerz Store, founded by Ryan Petersen to sell overclocked Athlon processors. The business developed a following among computer enthusiasts and expanded into memory and performance components. OCZ Technology Group was established in 2002 by Petersen and Bhulinder Sethi, with San Jose serving as its base. During its independent period, OCZ sold DDR SDRAM, graphics cards, USB drives, cooling products, and power supplies. The company built an international presence through offices or facilities in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Taiwan. It listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market in 2006 and later pursued a United States listing, joining NASDAQ in 2010 under the ticker OCZ. The 2007 acquisition of PC Power & Cooling expanded OCZ’s power-supply activities. The company increasingly concentrated on solid-state storage as SSD adoption accelerated. It introduced the RevoDrive PCI Express family for enthusiast and workstation users and worked on specialized interfaces and enterprise-storage technologies. OCZ also acquired Solid Data intellectual property, bought Indilinx for SSD controller and firmware expertise, and acquired Sanrad’s flash-caching and virtualization assets. A planned transaction involving PLX’s Abingdon research operation further reflected its interest in storage system-on-chip development. OCZ exited RAM production by the end of fiscal 2010, citing unfavorable DRAM-market conditions. Its SSD business grew in product breadth, but the company also developed a reputation for reliability problems in some product generations. Data published by an anonymous French technology retailer in 2013 showed exceptionally high return rates for the Petrol line and SATA II versions of the Octane. Later testing of the ARC100, introduced after Toshiba acquired OCZ’s assets, produced substantially more favorable endurance results, illustrating the difference between product generations. The company’s financial position deteriorated in the early 2010s. OCZ was late in filing financial statements, restated earlier results, and faced shareholder lawsuits and regulatory allegations concerning accounting practices. Revenue declined sharply while losses expanded. A secured loan from Hercules Technology Growth Capital carried a high interest rate and placed the company’s assets at risk if it failed to meet its obligations. After covenant problems, Hercules took control of OCZ’s bank accounts. In September 2012, the board removed Petersen as CEO, with Alex Mei serving temporarily before Ralph Schmitt became president and CEO in October. In November 2013, trading in OCZ shares was halted and the company disclosed its intention to seek bankruptcy protection. Toshiba subsequently agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets for approximately $35 million. The transaction closed in January 2014 and created OCZ Storage Solutions as a Toshiba subsidiary. The former public company became ZCO Liquidating Corporation and was later liquidated. PC Power & Cooling was sold separately to FirePower Technology in February 2014. OCZ Storage Solutions was dissolved on April 1, 2016, and its activities were absorbed into Toshiba America Electronic Components. OCZ then functioned mainly as a Toshiba storage brand rather than as an independent company. Toshiba later reorganized its memory and storage business under Kioxia, and the OCZ name ceased to be a principal active consumer-storage brand.
- 2016
OCZ Storage Solutions is dissolved
[1]The subsidiary was absorbed into Toshiba America Electronic Components.
- 2014
Toshiba completes asset acquisition
[1]OCZ Technology Group’s assets became part of the newly created OCZ Storage Solutions subsidiary of Toshiba.
- 2013
OCZ enters bankruptcy process
[1]Trading was halted and OCZ disclosed that it expected to seek bankruptcy protection before Toshiba agreed to acquire its assets.
- 2012
Founder leaves the CEO role
[1]The board removed Ryan Petersen and later appointed Ralph Schmitt as president and CEO.
- 2011
Indilinx is acquired
[1]OCZ acquired the SSD-controller and firmware company Indilinx.
- 2010
OCZ joins NASDAQ
[1]OCZ announced a NASDAQ listing under the ticker OCZ after seeking to leave the London market.
- 2007
PC Power & Cooling is acquired
[1]The acquisition expanded OCZ’s power-supply business while preserving PC Power & Cooling’s separate product identity.
- 2006
OCZ lists on London AIM
[1]OCZ became publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market under the symbol OCZ.
- 2002
OCZ Technology Group is established
[1]The San Jose-based company was founded by Ryan Petersen and Bhulinder Sethi.
- 2000
The Overclockerz Store is founded
[1]Ryan Petersen began the business as a seller of overclocked Athlon processors.
Products and positioning
Performance-oriented computer hardware for enthusiasts, workstation users, and enterprise-storage customers.
Solid-state drive
Vertex
The Vertex family was one of OCZ’s principal consumer SSD lines. It was positioned toward users seeking faster boot times, application loading, and general system responsiveness than conventional hard-disk drives could provide. Different generations used changing controller platforms and interfaces as the SSD market moved from early SATA designs toward newer performance standards.
PCI Express solid-state drive · 2010
RevoDrive
RevoDrive products placed flash storage behind a PCI Express interface rather than relying solely on a conventional drive bay connection. The line was designed for enthusiasts, workstations, and other users who wanted higher throughput and lower interface bottlenecks. Its bootable design made it usable as a system drive in compatible computers.
Solid-state drive
Octane
Octane was an OCZ SSD family offered in multiple interface and capacity configurations. The line represented the company’s effort to provide higher-capacity solid-state storage to the consumer market, although some early versions later appeared in retailer return-rate data associated with reliability concerns.
Solid-state drive
Petrol
Petrol was a consumer SSD family marketed as an accessible solid-state storage option. It was part of OCZ’s broad SATA product portfolio, but early Petrol units were among the OCZ products cited in published retailer data for unusually high return rates.
Solid-state drive · 2014
ARC 100
The ARC 100 was introduced after Toshiba acquired OCZ’s storage assets and represented a later generation of OCZ-branded SATA SSDs. Independent endurance testing of several 240 GB samples reported substantially more data written before failure than the drives’ stated warranty endurance, although those results should not be generalized to every unit or product family.
Computer power supply
OCZ power supplies
OCZ sold power-supply units for enthusiast desktop computers and related systems. The business was supported by the acquisition of PC Power & Cooling, whose separate product lines remained important to the company. OCZ also introduced power supplies carrying the OCZ name before the power-supply subsidiary was sold in 2014.
Computer memory
OCZ performance memory
Before leaving the market, OCZ produced performance-oriented DDR SDRAM for enthusiasts and overclockers. Memory was part of the company’s original hardware focus, but OCZ ended RAM production by the close of fiscal 2010 because of weak market performance and unfavorable DRAM conditions.
Controversies
2013
Accounting and financial-reporting controversy
OCZ delayed financial filings and restated earlier results while facing shareholder litigation and regulatory scrutiny. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission later alleged that former CEO Ryan Petersen had participated in a scheme to materially inflate revenue and gross margins from 2010 through 2012, and separately accused former CFO Arthur Knap of accounting, disclosure, and internal-control failures. Knap agreed to settle the SEC’s allegations without admitting or denying them; litigation involving Petersen continued until 2017.
2013
Reportedly high SSD return rates
Data published by an anonymous French technology retailer showed exceptionally high return rates for the Petrol line and SATA II versions of the Octane, including a reported rate above 50 percent for one 128 GB Octane model. These figures came from a retailer-specific dataset and do not establish failure rates across all markets or units, but they contributed to criticism of some OCZ SSD generations.
Brand decisions
2014
Sale of PC Power & CoolingM&ABackground
Following Toshiba’s acquisition of OCZ’s storage assets, the power-supply subsidiary was separated from the remaining storage operations.
Action taken
PC Power & Cooling was sold to FirePower Technology.
Aftermath
The transaction ended OCZ’s ownership of the power-supply business acquired in 2007.
2013
Secured financing to address liquidity needsStrategyBackground
OCZ’s revenue declined and losses increased while its financial filings were delayed.
Action taken
The company borrowed approximately $30 million from Hercules Technology Growth Capital at a stated interest rate of 15 percent, secured by the company’s assets.
Aftermath
OCZ failed to meet loan conditions, the facility was extended, and Hercules later took control of OCZ’s bank accounts.
Loan principal. $30 million (2013)
2013
Asset sale to Toshiba through bankruptcy proceedingsOtherBackground
OCZ’s stock trading was halted after the company failed to resolve its financing and reporting problems.
Action taken
Toshiba agreed to purchase nearly all of OCZ Technology Group’s assets for approximately $35 million.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in January 2014 and created OCZ Storage Solutions as a Toshiba subsidiary. The former public company was renamed ZCO Liquidating Corporation.
Asset purchase price. $35 million (December 2013 agreement; completed January 2014)
2012
Board removes founder as CEOOtherBackground
OCZ was undergoing strategic and financial pressure as it expanded its SSD business.
Action taken
The board dismissed founder Ryan Petersen, appointed Alex Mei as interim CEO, and later selected Ralph Schmitt as president and CEO.
Aftermath
The leadership change preceded the company’s worsening reporting, financing, and liquidity problems.
2011
Exit from RAM productionStrategyBackground
OCZ’s memory business faced poor market performance during a period of weakening DRAM conditions.
Action taken
The company discontinued all RAM production by the end of fiscal 2010, which concluded on February 28, 2011.
Aftermath
OCZ concentrated more heavily on storage, power supplies, and related computer hardware.
2011
Acquisition of IndilinxM&ABackground
OCZ sought greater control over the controller silicon and software used in its SSD products.
Action taken
OCZ acquired privately held Indilinx, a developer of flash-controller technology and SSD software, in a transaction valued at approximately $32 million in OCZ common stock.
Aftermath
Indilinx technology became part of OCZ’s effort to develop more vertically integrated SSD products.
Transaction value. $32 million (2011)
Recent events
- 2016
OCZ Storage Solutions is absorbed into Toshiba[1]
M&A
OCZ Storage Solutions was dissolved and its operations were absorbed into Toshiba America Electronic Components.
- 2013
Hercules takes control of OCZ bank accounts[1]
Bankruptcy
After OCZ failed to comply with conditions attached to its secured financing, Hercules Technology Growth Capital took control of the company’s bank accounts.
- 2013
Toshiba agrees to acquire OCZ assets[1]
M&A · Bankruptcy
Toshiba agreed to purchase nearly all of OCZ Technology Group’s assets through bankruptcy proceedings.
- 2012
Ryan Petersen is removed as CEO[1]
Leadership change
OCZ’s board removed founder Ryan Petersen as chief executive and appointed chief marketing officer Alex Mei on an interim basis.
- 2012
Ralph Schmitt becomes OCZ president and CEO[1]
Leadership change
Board member Ralph Schmitt, previously associated with PLX Technology, was appointed president and chief executive officer.
- 2011
OCZ ends memory production[1]
Other
OCZ discontinued its RAM business, citing weak market conditions and poor performance in the DRAM segment.
- 2011
OCZ acquires Indilinx[1]
M&A
The acquisition brought an SSD controller and firmware developer into OCZ, supporting greater vertical integration in solid-state storage.
- 2010
OCZ introduces the RevoDrive PCI Express SSD[1]
Product launch
The company announced the RevoDrive, a bootable PCI Express storage product aimed at performance-focused users.
- 2010
OCZ acquires Solid Data storage intellectual property[1]
M&A
OCZ purchased intellectual property involving Fibre Channel, SAS, and SSD-controller technologies.
- 2007
OCZ acquires PC Power & Cooling[1]
M&A
OCZ acquired the power-supply manufacturer PC Power & Cooling and retained its product identity and operations for a period.
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