Sun Announces $100k Contest for Grid App Developers

C-Shalom writes "EWeek reports that Sun announced a contest where developers can compete for $100k in prizes for developing applications that utilize the Grid. This is in addition to 100 free CPU hours on the Grid. From the article: 'Sun is hosting a competition where developers can compete for $50,000 in prize money. The winners of the Sun Grid Compute Utility Cool Apps Prize for Innovation contest will be determined based on the software they develop on the grid, MacRunnels said. Sun is planning additional contests for later in the year, which will bring the total potential winnings to $100,000.' The press release contains more info not included in the article."

Idle Grid

[Ritz_Just_Ritz]

If they've got this powerful cpu farm and it's obviously underutilized, why don't they donate un-rented cycles to something that helps us all (like the Folding@Home project)??? Seems like if they chose some sort of charitable recipient, they could even write the cost off on their corporate tax bill.

Re:Idle Grid

[xtracto]

But the objective of this things is to "show companies" what they can do with The Grid, they want to profit selling that service but so far just a small number of persons have used it.

The problem is the cost of this services, my University was trying to get some grid time from HP for certain project, the problem was that even though they had a "special arrangement" with HP, and because of that they have "cheap prices" the cost is just TOO expensive. And, This project was not short of money (it is a UK university).

It is (still) cheaper to pay someone to build a grid to use and then you will have it for other things.

Granted, if it was a Corporration they wont want to own and maintain one of this things but nevertheless the price is still too expnensive

Heh

[gentimjs]

I got dibs on making the sun grid talk too gentoo/distcc !! ;-)

Can't give away Grid at www.ubero.com!

[shodson]

Yeah, I have a grid of 6200 volunteers, and growing, but I can't even give away my compute services [ubero.com]. There are only so many embarrasingly parallel problems out there.