Ruediger Berlich (Germany)

GRID Computing

The availability of high-performance network connections and the need to process and store huge amounts of data has led to a natural progression in the way the existing computer infrastructure is perceived and used. The requirements of the LHC particle physics experiments have led to a new paradigm in distributed computing, called the GRID.

The huge amounts of data produced by the upcoming LHC experiments cannot be processed entirely at CERN (the European centre for nuclear and particle physics research) anymore. Instead, processing and storage capacities from participating institutions around the world are seemlessly bundled together, effectively creating a virtual supercomputer.

Today, GRID computing is an important research topic beyond the boundaries of particle physics. Within Germany, GRID research is funded by the German ministry of research and education (BMBF), European-wide projects like the European Data Grid are realised with the help of the European Union. The talk highlights the current developments in GRID computing. It gives examples from particle physics and explains the mission of the newly founded competence centre for GRID computing at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe.