| Emerging Technologies Will Transform the Internet as | | | | installed, but that number is expected to grow to |
| we Know It | | | | 200,000 by the year 2010. |
| Resource-demanding processes of the business world | | | | IBM has established goals for development of the |
| such as large-scale collaboration projects that involve | | | | Grid:o Build a much faster and more robust system of |
| product design, financial analysis, in-depth research and | | | | networked servers that gives scientists the computing |
| development are limited by World Wide Web Internet | | | | power they need to focus on scientific issues of |
| Protocol. As bandwidth demands continue to increase, | | | | enormous complexityo Establish the Grid as the |
| the Internet, as we know it, will fall short of facilitating | | | | standard for future resource-sharing for businesses |
| the high-volume throughput needed to move vast | | | | and the public. IBM and the OGF (Open Grid Forum) |
| amounts of data across it. In many areas of business | | | | have developed a set of standards for Grid sharing |
| communications, those needs will be met once the Grid | | | | known as the OGSA (Open Grid Services |
| is fully established - finally deploying the new | | | | Architecture) that defines the services included in the |
| "information superhighway" that we've heard so much | | | | structure by which they are communicated through the |
| about. | | | | network. Grid development is not abandoning Web |
| It is my contention the Grid will eventually replace the | | | | standards but is, in fact, building on them with |
| Internet with a system 10,000 times faster than today's | | | | extensions to the WSDL (Web Services Definition |
| broadband connections. This vision of IBM will allow | | | | Language). |
| users to access as much processing power as they | | | | IBM affirmed in 2003 that the Grid will have four focus |
| need through a worldwide network of powerful | | | | areas in addition to scientific research: engineering and |
| servers. | | | | design, enterprise optimization, business analytics and |
| Understanding the potential offered by the future Grid | | | | government development. Specific commercial |
| is helpful knowledge for business decision-makers | | | | markets are being targeted as well with Grid |
| today. The Grid differs from the Internet in that it is | | | | development such as biology/life sciences, aerospace, |
| much more than information sharing among computers | | | | financial and automotive. With the power of the Grid, |
| connected through the World Wide Web. The Grid | | | | financial analysts can analyze diverse investment |
| adds to this information sharing by adding processing | | | | portfolios in minutes, pharmacologists could discover |
| power. Part of it already exists: Connecting from | | | | new life-saving drugs more quickly and product design |
| CERN's high-energy physics laboratory to 11 locations | | | | time for any business could be minimized. |
| around the world is a grid of powerful servers | | | | Public adoption of the Grid is still some 5 to 10 years |
| connecting some 5,000 scientists at 150 universities. | | | | away. But, when it does arrive, the blazing-fast speeds |
| The Organisation européenne pour la | | | | would allow for movies and entire music catalogues to |
| recherche nucléaire, or CERN, is the largest | | | | be downloaded in seconds and online games with |
| particle physics laboratory in the world and is located | | | | players numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Built |
| just outside Geneva, Switzerland at the border with | | | | into the system will be a "pay for processing" scenario |
| France. The center was created in 1954 and currently | | | | where the additional power is paid for when needed. |
| has approximately 20 member nations. The United | | | | The benefits of the Grid over standard World Wide |
| States officially has "observer status" within the | | | | Web information sharing are considerable:o Establishing |
| organization. | | | | a standard protocol to allow networked computers to |
| These scientists are working on a huge project with | | | | work togethero Optimization of a network |
| an enormous amount of data involved that would, in | | | | infrastructure to balance processing demands while |
| effect, overwhelm the Internet. With the Grid, the | | | | providing extra capacity at the same timeo Ability to |
| immense amount of data is stored over the server | | | | quickly respond to changing market demands as they |
| network - not only giving the scientists access to the | | | | occuro Ability to interactively collaborate with |
| project, but also the processing power needed to | | | | colleagues across multiple platformso Sharing of |
| conduct intensive research. | | | | computer resources through the creation of virtualized |
| It is CERN that is pushing development of the Grid just | | | | organizations |
| as the particle physics center originally pushed Internet | | | | Some of the Grid protocols have made it to the |
| development when scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented | | | | business world already such as "dynamic switching" |
| the World Wide Web there in 1990. Needing innovation | | | | that allows for the creation of a dedicated channel |
| at a time when scientists needed a way to automate | | | | through the network for the downloading of large |
| information sharing is what's occurring right now at a | | | | chunks of data. |
| much more advanced level. This is what has fueled | | | | Another use of the technology outside of the world of |
| innovation for the development of the Grid today. | | | | CERN was in the development of a new malaria drug. |
| An underlying core problem of the Internet as we | | | | During the drug discovery process, researchers used |
| currently know it is the multiple data formats used on | | | | the Grid to analyze some 140 million compounds. Under |
| the millions of connected computers. This problem | | | | the current Internet standards, that process would |
| makes it difficult for the processing power running on | | | | have taken an estimated 420 years. |
| different platforms to all be interpreted and optimized | | | | Know this: The Grid offers much promise for the |
| simultaneously. IBM's project with CERN will result in a | | | | future. As applications and work collaboration |
| much faster global network with networked | | | | becomes more intensive, the need for this power |
| processing power currently impossible on the World | | | | becomes greater and greater. Businesses, as well as |
| Wide Web. | | | | scientists, will be able to carry out their tasks in a much |
| The focus right now is on connecting the scientists | | | | more efficient manner. |
| who are driving the need. The CERN physics project is | | | | This emerging technology is certain to revolutionize |
| one example, but the future Grid will connect all who | | | | how we access data, collaborate on projects and |
| need the extra processing power. At present, there | | | | how we utilize information technology in our |
| are approximately 60,000 grid servers currently | | | | day-to-day activities. |