IBM opens scientific cloud project in Qatar

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IBM has announced three new efforts that are taking advantage of its cloud computing platform for scientific computations. The first effort is working with universities in Qatar

IBM logoOne of the first projects to bring cloud computing to the Middle East, the Qatar Cloud Computing Initiative, is operational and initially located at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Qatar University, and Texas A&M University at Qatar will collaborate on this environment, along with a community of industry experts, researchers and clients, to develop a cloud solution to help solve industry problems.

…Among the many anticipated uses of the Qatar Cloud Computing Center for advanced research include search, data mining, scientific modeling and simulation, computational biology, and financial modeling and forecasting

The second focuses on South Africa

The second new client, the Computational Intelligence Research Group at the University of Pretoria, will use cloud computing for next-generation medical research. Through this initiative, students will find ways to slow the progression of serious illnesses by studying drug absorption rates and protein structure folding of a person’s DNA once introduced to a certain type of medication.

And the third is in east Africa

The HEALTH Alliance, a consortium of seven universities, is working with IBM and industry experts to extend education through virtual computing labs that students access remotely. Through this cloud, students of the Alliance will have access to the most advanced educational materials, select software applications, and computing and storage resources, without incurring the expense of maintaining and powering full computing environments.