News 

MySQL is used by a number of high-profile companies, including Google, Facebook and Nokia.

Sun, which is increasingly eager to increase its open-source portfolio, says the acquisition will open a path into the lucrative $15 billion database market.

"Today's acquisition reaffirms Sun's position at the centre of the global web economy," says Sun's CEO, Jonathan Schwartz. "Supporting our overall growth plan, acquiring MySQL amplifies our investments in the technologies demanded by those driving extreme growth and efficiency, from internet media titans to the world's largest traditional enterprises."

Sun describes MySQL as "the 'M' in LAMP - the software platform comprised of Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Perl", which is used to power the majority of today's websites.

In addition to the database revenues, Sun obviously hopes that it will be able to cross sell its server and storage offerings alongside the MySQL software. "The combination of MySQL and Sun represents an enormous opportunity for users and organisations of all sizes seeking innovation, growth and choice," claims Marten Mickos, CEO of MySQL.