INDUSTRY

TOKYO, JAPAN -- United Devices, Inc. has agreed to cooperate with NTT DATA Corporation on research and development in the area of large-scale distributed computing. The agreement comes as NTT DATA is preparing to launch a large-scale trial of cell computing during the first half of the current fiscal year, with participation by a million PCs in Japan with broadband connections, to be followed by commercial service. United Devices has already been involved in a number of large-scale projects using distributed computing technology. Based on that company's existing technology, the joint development project is aimed at realizing a cell computing system geared to the broadband situation in Japan. The companies will also jointly evaluate the trial results. What Is Cell Computing? Cell computing is a service that NTT DATA plans to offer on a commercial basis in the future. The service takes advantage of the unused CPU capacity in PCs in homes and offices that are connected to a broadband network. Using technology capable of harnessing that unused CPU capacity and using it as a virtual supercomputer, the service will provide customers with low-cost CPU power for use in such fields as biotechnology, physics, design, financial engineering, and computer graphics rendering. The PC users who provide their surplus capacity will receive return benefits from this network service.The research for the project is being carried out with the cooperation also of Intel K.K., NTT East Corporation, and SGI Japan, Ltd. The large-scale trial The trial service is aiming for participation of around a million PCs in Japan with dedicated connections to the Internet, in homes, businesses and organizations, in order to realize massive computing power. That power will be put to use running applications for which there is likely to be popular support, in research fields such as biotechnology, space, and astronomy. The trial, for which detailed planning is now under way, is expected to last approximately six months starting in the first half of fiscal 2002. The project is seen as contributing also to the concept of nationwide broadband service as envisioned in the government's e-Japan Priority Policy Program.