Calit2 at UC San Diego Teams with Darkstrand to Speed Innovation
San Diego and Chicago, April 14, 2009 -- Darkstrand, a pioneer in corporate high-speed connectivity bridging research and commercialization, announced today a collaborative agreement with the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) at the University of California, San Diego. Corporations connected to the Darkstrand Network can now drive real-time, high-performance computing (HPC) initiatives working with an elite team of UC San Diego researchers who are evolving new Internet technologies to advance industries within genomic medicine, new media, environmental science and other emerging fields.
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Calit2 is a premier research institute built in 2000 by the State of California to accelerate innovation through research in telecommunications and information technology. The world-renowned organization works to bring together corporations, global experts and researchers at UC San Diego and its sister Calit2 division at UC Irvine in cross-industry teams for real project work in dozens of specialized labs. Companies located anywhere on Darkstrand's 15,000-mile route footprint will now have a direct line to the research expertise and computing resources made available at Calit2.
Companies on an advanced network such as Darkstrand's can accelerate technology discovery, product deployment and growth in new and emerging markets to maintain their competitive edge, and Calit2 has unparalleled expertise to help companies take maximum advantage of Darkstrand's network.
"Collaboration on the Darkstrand Network, with the research facilities and expertise available at Calit2, gives corporations the same capability to leverage new technology for discovery and development that has, until now, been available only within the research community. Even on projects of short duration, the effort can be intense and the results dramatic," said Thomas A. DeFanti, Senior Research Scientist at Calit2 and a global pioneer in visualization technology and cyberinfrastructure. "It's really about empowering research and industry by closing the technology gap that impedes innovation now - a vision we share with Darkstrand."
Darkstrand provides corporations across the globe with access to the National LambdaRail (NLR) - a high-speed optical network that is currently spread across 30 U.S. cities - to enable previously unknown levels of collaboration for data-intensive operations across geographies, and to connect corporations seamlessly with research institutions to leverage effectively their research capabilities and computing power. Productivity gains made possible by Darkstrand will change the end game for corporations looking to create high-value products and services that will gain the most significant competitive advantage in this global economy.
"HPC gives companies an edge, helping them to build and sustain their competitive advantage through innovative product design, production techniques, cost savings, improved time-to-market cycles and overall quality," said Michael Stein, CEO, Darkstrand. "Calit2 is on the cutting edge of technology and is exactly the right kind of partner to support Darkstrand's mission to encourage companies to expand their creative thinking and reach toward the advances that only an advanced connected network can support."
Calit2 is located on the UC San Diego campus, which also is home to the San Diego Supercomputer Center and a 150-fiber network linking diverse research laboratories at the university. Calit2's corporate partners include major cross-industry corporations such as Qualcomm, Boeing, DuPont, Intel, HP and Sony.
About Darkstrand
Darkstrand, Inc. leverages enterprise-level network bandwidth to close the collaboration gap between corporations and research communities. Darkstrand is a pivotal corporate partner for solving real workflow, development and collaborative challenges, linking teams, facilities and suppliers into one ecosystem in a high-speed, networked grid environment via the National LambdaRail (NLR), a vast 15,000-route mile optical network spread across 30 U.S. cities. Darkstrand shortens time to insight and expands productivity for companies wanting a competitive edge. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Darkstrand was established in 2005, and has raised $12 million to date from private investors. For more information, visit http://www.darkstrand.com .
About Calit2
Calit2 is one of four Gray Davis Institutes for Science and Innovation created in late 2000 by the State of California to ensure that the state maintain its leadership in cutting-edge technologies and industries. More than 200 faculty members from UC San Diego and UC Irvine are collaborating on interdisciplinary projects, with funding and other support from more than 100 industry partners. For more information, visit the institute's Web site at: www.calit2.net .
Related Links
Darkstrand
Media Contacts
Doug Ramsey, Calit2, 858-822-5825, dramsey@ucsd.edu or Karen To, Sparkpr for Darkstrand, 415-321-1890, karen@sparkpr.com