Nanyang Poly, Oracle set up grid computing center

The NYP-Oracle Grid Innovation Center (NOGIC) will be managed by NYP. The polytechnic will work closely with enterprises interested in adopting grid computing.

Specifically, the center will offer industry project collaboration, scenario testing, benchmarking and organize grid awareness activities, according to Edward Ho, deputy principal for technology at Nanyang Polytechnic.

In addition, the NOGIC will give polytechnic students the opportunity to gain experience in enterprise grid technology.

"We believe that NOGIC will prepare the next generation of IT professionals and will arm them with skills that they can use in their careers," said Stanley Chew, managing director of Oracle Singapore.

The new center is an extension of the Enterprise-g @ Singapore initiative launched together with the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) last July. The aim: to drive the adoption and innovation of enterprise grid computing in the island-state.

So far, two projects have been developed in the NOGIC--the Singapore Land Authority's Land Data Hub Project, an online land data exchange for key public and private sector agencies, and NYP's Digital Library Portal that provides one-stop access to library services.

Within the next two years, the NOGIC will be targeting other pilot projects with Singapore businesses.

"There is great optimism regarding the growth potential of grid computing," said Khoong Hock Yun, assistant chief executive of IDA.

The global grid market is estimated to be worth US$12 billion by 2007, according to research firm IDC.

Grid computing helps businesses reduce IT costs and improve ROI (return on investments) by allowing computing resources to be better standardized and pooled together, Khoong said.

"In the not too distant future, businesses may even be able to leverage utility-computing service providers who will provide computing resources on a pay-per-user basis," he added.