Computing Power On Tap- $1 per CPU Hour!!

Sun (www.sun.com) has announced a grid/utility computing resource. They have named it the network.com (www.network.com). Network.com is backed by a large grid of computers running Solaris10 and has a Network.com Applications catalog.

What happens is one could utilize this huge high power computing and pay for the time of actual use. That makes computing super power available to large community of users without making it necessary to buy and own large resources. Applications available cover the following right now.

• Computational Mathematics: Numerical computing, Linear Programming and Statistical computing and graphics applications.
  
• Computer Aided Engineering: Several Finite Element Analysis packages.
  
• Electronic design Automation: Spice simulation.
  
• Life Sciences:Large selection of Life Science related applications.
  
• General :3D rendering and environmental modeling packages.

The portal also allows software vendors to deploy their applications for "pay per use". They are allowed to charge a fee that they think is appropriate. Users too could upload their application.

Right now it is available to users in US only but should get extended to others soon.