INTERCONNECTS

New Web site provides Indiana businesses a path to economic growth: Indiana University and Purdue University announced today the availability of a new Web site aimed at helping Indiana businesses harness the power of one of the world's fastest supercomputers. Danko AntolovicThe new Web site, www.iiecdev.org, guides businesses in how to apply to use the supercomputer and provides ongoing technical information to those businesses using the system. This announcement comes on the heels of successful pilot projects with Indiana-based companies being completed by both universities, which provided the experience and insight necessary to open the facilities to Indiana's private sector. The supercomputer, an IBM e1350 BladeCenter cluster capable of 20 trillion mathematical operations per second, comprises IU's Big Red and Purdue's Gold supercomputing systems. Access to the supercomputer is provided as part of the Indiana Initiative for Economic Development (IIED), a partnership designed to foster technology development and job growth in the state. A team of officials from both universities and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. oversee use of the supercomputer, which is located on the IU Bloomington campus and managed by technologists from both IU and Purdue. Indiana businesses using the supercomputer can gain access to experienced computing professionals who are helping to drive the state's technological development. Danko Antolovic, a principal scientist with IU's Research Technologies, serves as the high performance computing industry liaison with IBM. Antolovic holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry, and has wide-ranging experience with advanced computing in industry. "His understanding of the needs and operating pressures of industry -- and his years of experience on the plant floor, in the scientific lab, and with computer science research -- allows him to provide the kind of assistance Indiana companies need," said Craig Stewart, associate dean for Research Technologies at Indiana University and chief operating officer of Pervasive Technology Labs at IU. "At the end of this project -- when the governor asks us how we assisted Indiana businesses and helped to create new, high-quality jobs for Hoosiers -- we will proudly credit the expertise provided by Dr. Antolovic and others," Stewart said. "In addition, we will point to tools like this Web site that made it easy for businesses to use and benefit from this tremendous resource, which, without this partnership, may otherwise not have been available to Indiana businesses." Purdue Associate Vice President John Campbell added, "Working together to support the development of new technology is a win all around. Helping these companies will build Indiana's reputation in the technology sector, benefitting us all by bringing more jobs and investments into the state."