Fujitsu Limited

Tokyo, April 22, 2002 - Fujitsu Limited today announced that it plans to launch in June a new solution for scientific applications called the Grid Solution for the Sciences, which combines the construction of a Grid(*1) system environment, education, and operational support. This solution would assist customers with Grid construction based primarily on Fujitsu's PRIMEPOWER high-performance Unix server (running Solaris), PRIMERGY Intel architecture server (running Linux) and VPP Series supercomputers (running UXP/V).

A Grid is a virtual computer system that brings together multiple servers, storage systems, databases, applications and human resources over the network as if all were located on the user's own terminal. A variety of universities and research institutions have started to develop and introduce Grid systems, which promise to make accessible to individual scientists' terminals huge calculation capability and databases, various applications and expert advice previously unobtainable by any one scientist.

Working with its research arm, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., Fujitsu has been a pioneer in Grid development. Fujitsu supplied Grid middleware to the IT-based Laboratory (ITBL*2) project, which is part of the e-Japan initiative, and, as part of the SuperSINET project(*3), ported the Globus Toolkit(*4) Grid middleware to its VPP Series supercomputers installed at the Universities of Kyushu, Kyoto, and Nagoya. In addition, Fujitsu is conducting research on Globus Toolkit portability and other Grid-related technologies in conjunction with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), an independent, public sector institution.

Fujitsu has an established track record in this field, both in Japan as well as overseas. It is the only Japanese corporate sponsor of the Global Grid Forum (GGF*5), an international community promoting Grid research and standardization, and is participating in the UNICORE(*6) project, which is part of EUROGRID, a European Grid research project.

Fujitsu's new Grid solution builds on this expertise to provide a system optimized for the sciences, and the company has assembled a Science Grid Promotion Team from a number of relevant departments to speed future developments in this field. Moreover, recognizing that business will be another area in which Grid computing is likely to have a major impact, Fujitsu is actively working to advance Grid technology tailored for business and other applications.

Fujitsu's Grid Solution for Sciences at a Glance

Fujitsu's Grid Solution for the Sciences encompasses a wide range of support services - from software development for the Grid platform to Grid middleware and implementation of applications - and full lifecycle - from design through operation - for helping customers construct Grid systems utilizing its high-performance PRIMEPOWER, PRIMERGY and VPP hardware platforms.

• Grid Construction Services: Installation, setup, and network configuration of Globus Toolkit for Fujitsu's PRIMEPOWER high-performance Unix servers, PRIMERGY high-performance IA servers, or VPP supercomputers; Grid middleware development, applications development, and creation of custom-tailored Grid solutions.
• Grid System Support Services: Periodic support including responding to customer queries regarding the Globus Toolkit installed on their Grid systems, providing information on troubleshooting, system problems and functional enhancements, etc.
• Grid System Educational Services: Training services for construction, administration and usage methods for Grid systems.

Glossary

*1. Grid:

Here, "Grid" is used in the same sense as an electric utility's power Grid. Refers to a network of servers, databases, applications, and other computing resources that are geographically dispersed and readily usable anywhere, much like plumbing or electricity.

*2. IT-based Laboratory Project:

A project using information technology to set up a virtual research environment of shared computing resources. Promoted in Japan by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research and other research institutions under the former Science and Technology Agency. Expected to expand to include other research institutions and universities.

*3. SuperSINET Project:

A project organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to build an ultrafast broadband optical trunk-line network operating at 10 Gbps, that is aimed at expanding scientific research institutions and improving utilization of their collective research resources and systems. The National Institute of Informatics is the core member, and participants include national research laboratories and large computing centers of national universities. Research activities linking these institutions that will advance such fields as high-energy physics/fusion, bio-informatics, nanotechnology, space science, meteorology, and Grid computing have already begun.

*4. Globus Toolkit:

Industry-standard middleware for implementing Grid computing. Includes a protocol and API (application programming interface).

*5. Global Grid Forum:

An open community that promotes Grid computing. Fujitsu is one of the sponsors.

*6. UNICORE (Uniform Interface to Computing Resources):

A Grid-related project in Europe. Begun in 1997 under the sponsorship of the German government. Results from this became the core for the larger EUROGRID project spanning the EU.

About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is a leading provider of Internet-focused information technology solutions for the global marketplace. Its pace-setting technologies, best-in-class computing and telecommunications platforms, and worldwide corps of systems and services experts make it uniquely positioned to unleash the infinite possibilities of the Internet to help its customers succeed. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 5.48 trillion yen for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001. Internet:http://www.fujitsu.com/

[Press Contacts] Minoru Sekiguchi, Robert Pomeroy Fujitsu Limited, Public & Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 (Tokyo) Fax: +81-3-3216-9365 Press Inquiries

[Customer Contact] Fujitsu Limited Computing Science & Technology Center Marketing Division Tel: +81-43-299-3241 E-mail: grid-solution@strad.ssg.fujitsu.com

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