IBM awards technology to University of Karlsruhe for grid computing research

Zurich, Switzerland, 13 November 2002—The Chair for Information Management and Systems of the Department of Economics and Business Engineering at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, announced it has been awarded 34 computers worth more than 200,000 euros from IBM to build an infrastructure for experiments in electronic market engineering and grid computing. The donation has been made possible by IBM's Shared University Research (SUR) program, supported by a long-standing collaboration between Karlsruhe and IBM Research - Zurich.

"Here we find the research activities and skills that fit into the technical strategy of IBM for the development of e-market technology and grid computing," said Doug Dykeman, Manager of Computer Science at IBM's Zurich lab, who presented the SUR grant at a ceremony held in Karlsruhe on November 12. "That's why we have a strong interest in supporting this high-quality research effort. In addition to that, IBM has a strong interest in the education of young talent, which is crucial for a permanent development and evolution of information technology—at IBM and elsewhere."

"With IBM, we have found a partner that shares our understanding of electronic market engineering at the interfaces between economy, law, and information technology," said Professor Christof Weinhardt, who holds the Chair for Information Management and Systems. "This donation and close collaboration with IBM will provide additional momentum to our research and education." The chair is developing new methods for matching buyers' and sellers' interests and how they can be implemented in information systems. Possible applications range from online auctions for consumers to complex bidding and provisioning processes in the professional field. A special focus in the collaboration with IBM's Zurich lab is on the technical realization of mechanisms such as provisioning and billing of capacity and services in the grid computing environment.

IBM's Shared University Research (SUR) program awards computing equipment (servers, storage systems, personal computing products, etc.) to colleges, universities and institutions of higher education around the world to facilitate research projects in areas of mutual interest, including: Life Sciences, Grid Computing, Autonomic Computing and Deep Computing. The SUR awards also support the advancement of university projects by connecting top researchers in academia with IBM Research personnel, along with representatives from product development and solution provider communities. IBM awards approximately 40 SUR grants per year worldwide.