IP: IBM'S DEEP BLUE HAS A BUSINESS PLAN

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

IBM today plans to announce its Deep Computing Institute, which 
will be devoted to helping businesses use machines such as the 
Deep Blue supercomputer, which beat world champion Garry Kasparov 
at chess in 1997. The institute will employ 120 IBM researchers 
and have a nine-person advisory board. In addition, the 
institute will be supported by a $29 million budget. William 
Pulleyblank, the institute's director, says deep computing refers 
to the use of extensive computation and advanced software 
algorithms in approaching problems that traditionally would have 
been impossible. This level of research has been explored for 
several years at IBM's Watson Labs, and Pulleyblank says, "We 
think now is the time to really use this kind of scientific 
modeling for business decision-making." Weather forecasting is 
one possible application of deep computing capabilities. 
With deep computing, forecasts can be much more accurate. 
The Deep Computing Institute plans to offer open 
access to its three-dimensional visualization software for 
supercomputers, called Data Explorer. (New York Times 05/24/99)