SCIENCE

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and Hewlett Packard have launched a $22 million collaboration to develop grid and utility computing in Singapore. As part of the collaboration, Singapore will become the first Asia-Pacific node in the Global Operational Grid, spearheaded by the European Organization Nuclear Research (CERN). HP is one of the technology giants behind CERN's use of grids for scientific research, the others being IBM, Intel, Oracle and Entersys Networks. The IDA-HP tie-up will focus on research, test-bedding and manpower development for grid and utility computing. It is also launching "Games Bazaar" - a regional online games hosting project that uses grid computing. By joining, Singapore stands to gain from being part of a global research community in CERN's vast grid network, which is currently concentrated in Europe and the United States. "Grid computing is a new development that could potentially be big - as big as the Internet of today. I think therefore as a leading info-comm hub Singapore has to go in early to acquire new capabilities to prepare our companies and people to exploit this new technology," said IDA chief executive Tan Ching Yee.