Oracle is now offering computer hardware

SAN FRANCISCO — Oracle is expanding into the computer hardware business in an effort to make its database software run more efficiently.

CEO Larry Ellison unveiled his company's plans to sell a "database machine" in a Wednesday presentation at an Oracle customer conference that attracted nearly 43,000 people. It marks the first time in Oracle's 31-year history that the company has added hardware to its product line.

The machine, which is being manufactured and maintained by Hewlett-Packard Co., is designed to enable large companies to fetch information stored on databases more quickly. Oracle is the world's largest seller of database software.

Aided by state and local incentives, Oracle has announced it will build a $285 million data center in West Jordan. The facility will be operating in early 2010. The data center will have about 100 employees, with wages more than double the Salt Lake County median wage. The company also has operations at Jordan Commons in Sandy and in downtown Salt Lake City.