West Virginia Funds Public Grid Computing

West Virginia has authorized funding through its Economic Development Authority to develop the Global Grid Exchange, what officials are calling the first state-sponsored open public Internet grid computing effort. The initiative is expected to save money for the government and drive statewide economic development. The Global Grid Exchange will utilize the power of the Internet to aggregate the idle or unused computer processing resources throughout the state. With access to such resources, the Global Grid Exchange will soon be the largest open public computing grid in the world.

"This is an innovation that will make our state a leader in a very promising technology area. Under the direction of Jim Estep, president and CEO of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation, the Global Grid Exchange will be a powerful tool for advancing our work in fields ranging from biometrics to cancer research," said Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. "It's a forward-thinking investment and we are grateful to Governor Wise for his support in making part of the funding possible."

"Our partnership with the state in building the Global Grid Exchange helps to accelerate the Foundation's vision of a vibrant statewide and regional high-tech business environment based upon knowledge, ideas and technological innovation," said James L. Estep, president and CEO of the WVHTC Foundation. "Though our initial focus will be in supporting economic development initiatives within the state of West Virginia, soon organizations from around the world will have easy access to this unique resource directly from their desktops."

Implementation of the Global Grid Exchange has already begun. Users will be able to access the power of this grid effort beginning in fall 2004.