Apple acquires software developer behind FoundationDB

Apple has acquired software developer FoundationDB, the company behind the nosql database software of the same name, for an undisclosed amount. Apple may want to use the database technology for its own Internet services.

The FoundationDB website states that downloads of the database software are no longer available, partly because the company wants to enter ‘a new phase’. According to TechCrunch, sources have indicated that Apple has acquired the company. The acquisition has not yet been officially confirmed.

Apple may want to leverage FoundationDB’s NoSQL database technology for its cloud operations, such as the underlying infrastructure for the App Store and iTunes. FoundationDB claims that its database software offers particularly good performance when handling so-called acid transactions. Acid, which stands for atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability, must guarantee the secure handling of database transactions. The software runs locally on Windows and OS X, but also in clusters on Linux.