The Grid
The grid has the potential to dramatically change how we use computers to solve problems, much as the web has revolutionised the way we exchange information.
It is a large number of possibly under-used, disparate computers on which series of independent calculations can be run. The major development is intelligent software that manages how the jobs are dispatched, executed and the results collected. CERN is driving an EU grid project since its new machine, the Large Hadron Collider, will require about 100 000 computers to analyse the data. Other EIRO members have smaller grid projects.
Today, EIROforum works with the international scientific community to develop and build the grid. Together with other partners, EIROforum is coordinating research and development efforts to produce protocols, services and tools to address the challenges of this new information technology.