Today’s topics include Microsoft’s acquisition of Cycle Computing to expand it high performance computing technology portfolio, Kolos’ effort to build the world’s largest data center in Norway; Docker’s Enterprise Edition update with secure multi-tenacity support; and the debut of Google Allo web text messaging app on the Chrome browser.
Microsoft has snapped up a high-performance computing company in its quest to add cloud computing capabilities to practically all types of enterprise workloads.
The Redmond, Wash. IT vendor has acquired HPC company Cycle Computing for an undisclosed price, the companies said on Aug. 15.
The deal, along with the GreenButton deal of 2014, adds to the company’s technology portfolio to make it more competitive in the increasingly crowded market for enterprise cloud services.
“The cloud war is on but it’s not about price. It’s more about providing services and solutions to help solve complex problems, Adnan Raja, vice president of marketing at cloud hosting provider Atlantic.Net, told eWEEK in email remarks.
Cycle Computing specializes in cloud orchestration software that enables organizations to run compute-intensive workloads on cloud computing infrastructures.
In some ways, Scandinavia is a data center designer’s dream location. The region has weather cool enough so that computers can be chilled with natural air. It’s got plenty of cold water in its fjords while electricity is cheap and abundant.
This explains why a number of large data centers from companies such as Microsoft have already set up shop in Sweden and Denmark. Now, with a particularly ambitious plan from data center venture Kolos, it’s coming to Norway.
Kolos co-CEO Mark Robinson told eWEEK that the company plans to build the 600,000 square meter (about 6.5 million square feet) facility on land formerly occupied by an airport in the small city of Ballangen.
The four-story facility will supply a gigawatt of power for computing with an estimated power usage effectiveness of 1.04. Plus, the availability of hydroelectric power and wind power in that part of Norway means that the data center will be run entirely on renewable energy.
Docker Inc. announced Aug. 16 the general availability of the latest iteration of its commercially supported flagship platform with Docker Enterprise Edition 17.06. The Docker EE 17.06 release is the first since March, when Docker EE debuted.
Docker EE is a rebranding and repositioning of Docker’s commercial platform, providing what had previously been known as Docker Commercially Supported edition as well as the Docker Datacenter platform.
Docker’s release model also changed in March, with a monthly Community Edition release that provides a rapid iteration of features that are then rolled up and stabilized inside of the Enterprise Edition releases.
Nearly one year after Google rolled out its Allo instant messaging app for smartphones the company has a desktop version of the technology as well.
The new Allo for the web works with Google’s Chrome browser desktop. It allows users to chat with mobile users on a one-on-one basis and in a group setting using their web browser on a desktop.
Like its mobile counterpart, Allo for web supports the use of several features that are commonly found in other instant messaging applications, including stickers, emojis and doodles in the message content.