Christopher Hipp
Encyclopedia
Christopher G. Hipp was an American
inventor and serial entrepreneur who received a patent for his invention of the blade server
, a compact, stripped-down computer server
that includes all of the necessary components to operate as a computer while taking up minimal space on a standard rack mount
and minimizing power consumption.
Hipp was born in Houston. Raised in Dallas, he educated himself in the field of computers after he left college and pursued this avenue after seeing how technology would change the graphic design
realm.
Until 2000, Hipp ran Digital Media Performance Labs, a Dallas-based company he founded in 1995 that served the technology needs of the graphics and video industry, selling the Silicon Graphics
(SGI) line of high-performance computing
workstations and software.
He established RLX in The Woodlands, Texas
, near Houston, staffed primarily by former employees of Compaq
. The company shipped the first blade server in 2000, a technology that allowed more computers to be packed into a smaller amount of space, with many using less power than comparable servers. IBM was an early investor and reseller of RLX's servers. A patent on what became known as the blade server was applied for on July 20, 2000, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office
awarded patent number 6,411,506 for a "High density web server chassis system and method" on June 25, 2002, the first commercialized blade server architecture, to Hipp and David Kirkeby. Hewlett-Packard
bought out RLX in October 2005, though Hipp stated that he had only earned $1 from the sale as his holdings had been diluted when stock was issued to venture capital
firms to obtain the funding needed to get the business off the ground. By the time of his death, the blade server market had exceeded $5 billion in annual sales, much of it driven by efforts to cut energy costs.
Hipp focused on other ventures developing computer technology, most recently at D-Wave Systems
, a start-up based in Burnaby, British Columbia
, that announced a working prototype of quantum computer
in 2007.
Mark Seager, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
's head of advanced computing, described Hipp as a "visionary" looking to find "where the next industry innovation would come from and working... to make that happen".
, Hipp died at age 48 on July 14, 2009, while cycling in nearby Palo Alto
, having collapsed during his ride. Cause of death was a cardiac arrhythmia. He was survived by his brother, as well as by Lorraine Sneed, his partner of 15 years, who she later said "got him" when she asked Hipp on their first date "if he wanted to come see my SGI".
Hipp was described as a "semiprofessional cyclist" and had won a number of races in the Southwest. While competing in the 2009 Tour de France
, Lance Armstrong
released a Tweet
of condolence on Hipp's death.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor and serial entrepreneur who received a patent for his invention of the blade server
Blade server
A blade server is a stripped down server computer with a modular design optimized to minimize the use of physical space and energy. Whereas a standard rack-mount server can function with a power cord and network cable, blade servers have many components removed to save space, minimize power...
, a compact, stripped-down computer server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
that includes all of the necessary components to operate as a computer while taking up minimal space on a standard rack mount
19-inch rack
A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide, including edges or ears that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws.-Overview and history:Equipment designed...
and minimizing power consumption.
Hipp was born in Houston. Raised in Dallas, he educated himself in the field of computers after he left college and pursued this avenue after seeing how technology would change the graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
realm.
Until 2000, Hipp ran Digital Media Performance Labs, a Dallas-based company he founded in 1995 that served the technology needs of the graphics and video industry, selling the Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
(SGI) line of high-performance computing
High-performance computing
High-performance computing uses supercomputers and computer clusters to solve advanced computation problems. Today, computer systems approaching the teraflops-region are counted as HPC-computers.-Overview:...
workstations and software.
He established RLX in The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...
, near Houston, staffed primarily by former employees of Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
. The company shipped the first blade server in 2000, a technology that allowed more computers to be packed into a smaller amount of space, with many using less power than comparable servers. IBM was an early investor and reseller of RLX's servers. A patent on what became known as the blade server was applied for on July 20, 2000, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
awarded patent number 6,411,506 for a "High density web server chassis system and method" on June 25, 2002, the first commercialized blade server architecture, to Hipp and David Kirkeby. Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
bought out RLX in October 2005, though Hipp stated that he had only earned $1 from the sale as his holdings had been diluted when stock was issued to venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firms to obtain the funding needed to get the business off the ground. By the time of his death, the blade server market had exceeded $5 billion in annual sales, much of it driven by efforts to cut energy costs.
Hipp focused on other ventures developing computer technology, most recently at D-Wave Systems
D-Wave Systems
D-Wave Systems, Inc. is a quantum computing company, based in Burnaby, British Columbia. On May 11, 2011, D-Wave System announced D-Wave One, labeled "the world's first commercially available quantum computer," and also referred to it as an adiabatic quantum computer using quantum annealing to...
, a start-up based in Burnaby, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, that announced a working prototype of quantum computer
Quantum computer
A quantum computer is a device for computation that makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. Quantum computers are different from traditional computers based on transistors...
in 2007.
Mark Seager, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
's head of advanced computing, described Hipp as a "visionary" looking to find "where the next industry innovation would come from and working... to make that happen".
Personal
A resident of Redwood City, CaliforniaRedwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
, Hipp died at age 48 on July 14, 2009, while cycling in nearby Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, having collapsed during his ride. Cause of death was a cardiac arrhythmia. He was survived by his brother, as well as by Lorraine Sneed, his partner of 15 years, who she later said "got him" when she asked Hipp on their first date "if he wanted to come see my SGI".
Hipp was described as a "semiprofessional cyclist" and had won a number of races in the Southwest. While competing in the 2009 Tour de France
2009 Tour de France
The 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco...
, Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
released a Tweet
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
of condolence on Hipp's death.