AT&T, University Consortium to Advance Grid NetworkingWASHINGTON
AT&T and the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) have collaborated to allow the nation’s research and education community to use AT&T’s newest national network infrastructure for experimental work on the next generation of networking technology and applications, known as grid networking.
Among geographically dispersed schools and research centers, grid networking enables computing facilities, scientific data repositories and applications to be shared, allowing researchers to more rapidly solve complex problems, conduct computer-intensive research or analyze vast amounts of data. For example, advances in the areas of database mining, particle detectors, telescope observatories, electron microscopes and technical testing devices are all being networked, allowing data to be shared, managed and accessed. The promise of high-end grid computing will become possible when high-capacity optical networks are available to the research and education community.
The collaboration agreement is designed to speed the creation of regional and national Grid services to support the nation’s research and education community. AT&T will make available, at no cost to SURA and other research and education entities, 8,000 miles of dark fiber network, as well as a substantial inventory of optical networking equipment. These assets will be used to develop experimental network services to support advanced research that would not be possible using a commercial network. AT&T also will lease to SURA and its partners additional network facilities and capacity as needed.
“We are extremely pleased that AT&T is taking this innovative approach in collaboration with SURA,” said Louisiana State University chancellor and chair of SURA’s Council of Presidents, Dr. Mark Emmert. “This agreement is a very important step in helping to realize a vision for a new national optical networking capability for research and education — a vision that has been clearly articulated by SURA’s most prominent institutional leaders.”
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