INDUSTRY

IBM said it has teamed up with the Taiwan National Center for High-performance Computing to deploy one of the largest research and education grid networks in the Asia-Pacific region. The grid network, named the Taiwan Advanced Research and Education Network, connects 11 major research institutes and universities nationwide, IBM said in a statement. Jason Hsu (許朱勝), general manager of IBM Taiwan Corp, said the project supports the government's Challenge 2008 plan, a six-year national development and investment initiative. The development plan aims to raise Taiwan's competitiveness by improving the quality of industrial output, nurturing IT personnel, building up a research base, and creating a "Digital Taiwan," he said. For the project, IBM said it partnered with Cisco, Acer, and Ring Line Corporation. Big Blue said it was able to execute a live launch three-and-a-half months before the deadline. This grid platform propels Taiwan into the global research and education arena," said Hsu. The executive added that the network would help facilitate Taiwan's transformation into an original design manufacturing hub. The project will also influence a number of the nation's industries such as healthcare, education, and information technology, said Joe Juang (莊哲男), director of National Center for High-performance Computing. Founded in 1991, the NCHC was Taiwan's first national institute dedicated to high-performance computing and network applications research. Project cheerleaders expected TWAREN to transform Taiwan into a main thoroughfare of Internet traffic for academic and research communities; increase network capacity; and create a flexible and adaptable Knowledge Creation Grid that will provide solutions to various applications and stimulate the growth of the software, computer, and telecommunications industries.