We wrote last week about cloud computing mega-datacenters in the context of Amazon’s Dynamo storage back-end, as well as the idea that telco central offices are nothing if not the exact same thing (at least in theory though definitely not in practice today).
Today, Google and IBM announced plans to build a “cloud factory” to help universities better research next-generation computing architectures. Says the NY Times:
Most of the innovation in cloud computing has been led by corporations, but industry executives and computer scientists say a shortage of skills and talent could limit future growth.
“We in academia and the government labs have not kept up with the times,” said Randal E. Bryant, dean of the computer science school at Carnegie Mellon University. “Universities really need to get on board.”
Makes us nostalgic for the golden days of Bell Labs as a key driver of 20th century primary scientific research.
Click on the picture above for a cool “cloud” — or really, solar — blast from Bell Labs past.
