ASU and the state of Arizona have been chosen by a Canadian computer-hardware company as a place to showcase their groundbreaking communication technology.
Edmonton, Alberta-based Obsidian Strategics Inc., ASU and the Translational Genomics Research Institute, a Phoenix-based nonprofit organization dedicated to medical research, are in the planning phase of creating one of the fastest computer connections on the planet.
According to a TGen press release, Longbow, a technology originally designed for the U.S. Department of Defense by Obsidian Strategics, efficiently links computers separated by distances up to about 90 miles.
TGen does research related to treatment and potential cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes and autism and uses an ASU supercomputer called the Saguaro 2 to analyze and store their research data.
TGen is located in downtown Phoenix and the Saguaro 2 is located roughly 10 miles away at ASU’s Tempe campus.
Steve Yozwiak, senior science writer for TGen, said in an e-mail it takes up to 12 days for their data to reach the Saguaro 2, where it is analyzed and stored. Longbow could cut that transfer time down to roughly an hour.
James Lowey, director of High Performance Biocomputing at TGen, said Longbow would allow the capabilities of TGen’s research to expand.
“This new connection will allow researchers at TGen to transmit very large data sets to be analyzed by the supercomputer at ASU in a much faster time frame, effectively allowing larger and more complex data sets to be analyzed,” he said.
David Southwell, president of Obsidian Strategics, said Longbow could create the compatibility between two unrelated computers that is necessary to transfer large amounts of data.
“We’re the two cups at the end of the string linking ASU and TGen,” Southwell said.
In order to transfer large amounts of data effectively there needs to be a direct line of communication, he said.
“The basic Internet is like driving on a busy highway. There are lots of people trying to do lots of different things,” Southwell said.
“To move data, we essentially need train tracks all moving in the same direction and going to the same place.”
Southwell said Obsidian Strategics is targeting Arizona because the market for his product is reliant on biotech companies and researchers.
“Arizona has a very strong biotech market,” he said. “Biotech companies are the largest users of supercomputers, and they continue to grow.”
Southwell said eventually he hopes to link Tucson, Phoenix and Flagstaff using his hardware.
“Because of the market and topography of Arizona, it is the ideal place for our company to showcase the potential of our technology,” he said. “Ultimately we are looking to locate our own facility in Phoenix.
Reach the reporter at jaking5@asu.edu.