The need for faster access to business intelligence is reshaping analytics environments all the way down to the hardware level. On the storage side, modern number-crunching systems like Apache Spark keep records in memory instead of disk to improve query performance. And a startup called MapD Technologies Inc. now hopes to drive a similar shift over in the server layer with a newly launched database that uses GPUs instead of Intel Corp.’s more popular x86 chips to perform data visualization.

GPUs are inherently better at handling graphical content than their general-purpose counterparts, which is why they’re often found in large numbers inside supercomputers tasked with running complex scientific simulations. In recent years, cloud providers like Amazon Inc. have started similarly fitting some of their servers with Nvidia Corp.-made chips to support use cases such as movie rendering and game hosting that also involve a lot of visual assets. By harnessing the semiconductor maker’s specialized silicon for ad hoc queries, MapD claims that its database is able to vastly improve the responsiveness of business dashboards.

Verizon Communications Inc., one of the several Fortune 500 organizations that are currently working to implement the startup’s system in their environments, claims that it’s now seeing some queries return up to 50 times faster than before. The carrier is so enthusiastic about the technology that it decided to participate in the $10 million funding round that MapD is announcing against the backdrop of its database’s launch. The investment included a contribution from Nvidia as well, which has an even stronger incentive to see GPU-powered data visualization take off.

In theory, the more organizations implement MapD’s database, the more chips the company will be able to sell. The resulting bump in orders should not only boost its top line but also siphon some business away from archnemesis Intel, whose x86 processors power most of the servers used to run business intelligence workloads today. Nvidia and the other investors’ cash infusion will help the startup expand marketing efforts to speed the adoption of its database. 

The system is available immediately for use behind the firewall, on Amazon Web Services or IBM Corp.’s rivaling SoftLayer public cloud. It’s offered alongside a complementary visualization tool called Immerse that promises to make it easier for analysts to create interactive dashboards.

Image via MapD