Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Blogs Google Watch
    • Blogs
    • Google Watch
    • Search Engines

    Cloud Computing Coming to a University Near You

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    October 9, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Google and IBM said yesterday they have created a computing cluster comprised of hundreds of servers and open-source software for universities to help them practice what the companies call parallel or “cloud” computing.

      The ACCI (Academic Cluster Computing Initiative) will allow students and faculty to access the cluster from anywhere through the Web to work on Internet scale projects, such as fashioning search engines, building out social-networking sites or pretty much anything that involves a lot of Web real estate.

      Google is hosting the servers in a data center somewhere, so universities don’t have to worry about buying and finding space for hundreds of boxes, let alone configuring and maintaining them.

      There is no denying this is altruistic to a degree. Students at such universities as University of Washington, Carnegie-Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Maryland will benefit from this program.

      But make no mistake, this isn’t analogous to the rich parent donating musical instruments to low-income students in grade school.

      Google CEO Eric Schmidt and IBM CEO Sam Palmisano, neither of whom are inclined to do many interviews with the media, told the Wall Street Journal each company is committing $20 million to $25 million on this project, so you can be sure they would like to see some return on investment.

      Strategically, ACCI is another way to stick it to Microsoft, which has its own vision for cloud computing but isn’t likely to populate it with open-source software the way Big Blue and Google will. Planting the cloud-computing seeds in universities now is a fine pre-emptive strike.

      Moreover, by enabling students to build scalable Internet applications with their infrastructure, IBM and Google theoretically could groom standout students for programming positions in the future. Don’t think that Google and IBM couldn’t use more help to push their Apps and Lotus Connections social-computing tools, respectively.

      Consider the co-creator of the ACCI, Christophe Bisciglia. Now a senior software engineer for Google, Bisciglia created a search engine as a student at the University of Washington, which no doubt attracted the attention of the super search engine. By creating the ACCI, Bisciglia may be paying it forward for Google in a big way. I asked Bisciglia about this in a phone interview yesterday.

      “There’s no secret that if created, a platform like this is going to create more qualified, talented engineers,” Bisciglia said. “We will be interested in those people along with other leaders in the industry and graduate schools. Everyone benefits from this, and that includes us. The academic community has given so much to Google…and this is one way we can give back in a meaningful way that helps academia and, in the long-term, helps the entire industry.”

      Stay tuned for the next wave of the Google army.

      Clint Boulton
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×