Intel's venture-capital arm has invested in Nirvanix, a San Diego start-up company that offers a scalable online storage service.

Intel Capital said it had invested an undisclosed amount in Nirvanix, which in turn expects to benefit from access to technologies that can improve its service and expand the number of storage nodes it owns.

At the heart of its service is an API (application programming interface) called Nirvanix Web Services that allows developers to incorporate the online storage service in their applications, and can be used by companies to store application data. That service charges customers a monthly rate of $0.18 per gigabyte of data that is stored or transferred. The API allows developers to control the amount stored and the bandwidth made available to the application.

In addition to Intel Capital, Nirvanix investors include Mission Ventures, Valhalla Partners, and Windward Ventures.