The West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation announced the general availability of the Global Grid Exchange, the world's first open public computing Grid. To mark this unique "initial public offering," a launch event was held at the WVHTC Foundation headquarters featuring guest speakers US Congressman Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.) and West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise.

An initiative of the WVHTC Foundation, the Global Grid Exchange harnesses the power of the Internet to aggregate the idle or unused computer processing resources throughout the State of West Virginia. With access to such state resources, from PCs to mainframes, the Global Grid Exchange will deliver unprecedented computing power -- on demand -- to any desktop computer over the Internet, creating a cost-effective computation infrastructure that will drive innovation in the commercial, government and academic sectors around the world.

Unlike other Internet Grid offerings, the Global Grid Exchange is the only Internet Grid computing solution sufficiently safe, secure and accessible to give users and developers Grid access directly from their desktops. Such open access allows users to submit applications and retrieve results without working through a third party that must review source code and submit applications on their behalf. Utilizing Parabon Computation's Grid computing solution Frontier, the Global Grid Exchange empowers users with an incomparable platform-independent Grid computing environment for the easy development and deployment of distributed computing applications.

"With the launch of the Global Grid Exchange, West Virginia becomes the first state to offer an open public computing Grid available for use by interested parties," said Gov. Wise. "This resource represents the type of economic development support that will accelerate new business opportunities across many industries and further differentiate West Virginia."

"The availability of such a unique innovation as the Global Grid Exchange enhances the competitive advantage of West Virginia companies allowing them to compete more effectively in the global marketplace," said Congressman Mollohan. "The launch of the Global Grid Exchange is a tremendous milestone achievement for the WVHTC Foundation and its partners. I am proud that West Virginia government, industry, and academia could come together as they have on this program. I have no doubt the Grid will become a critical component of our state's vibrant high-tech business environment."

"Though a West Virginia based resource, the Global Grid Exchange is a unique iteration of cyberinfrastructure available to organizations everywhere, helping them achieve significant innovation while increasing productivity and reducing research and development costs across all market segments," said James L. Estep, president and CEO of the WVHTC Foundation. "This launch represents yet another step in our organization's efforts to further strengthen and diversify West Virginia's economy, and we are thrilled to have had the opportunity to be of benefit in this way."

Available immediately, interested users and developers may download the Frontier software development kit and begin running Grid-enabled applications. As an introduction to the Global Grid Exchange, those downloading the Frontier SDK may enjoy a limited thirty-day test drive. Details are available at www.globalgridexchange.com/.