An agreement was signed on 17 September 2009 in Perth that will see the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) partner with one of the world’s biggest technology players, IBM Australia. This partnership aims to further develop the technologies needed to manage the vast amounts of data that will be produced by the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and Australia’s SKA Pathfinder Radio telescopes.
ICRAR and IBM will develop software suitable for the transfer, management, processing and storage of the large volumes of radio data produced by these mega-science projects. IBM will also support ICRAR’s goals to encourage the participation of a range of industries, research institutions and universities in activities that relate to various aspects of these mega-science projects.
“ICRAR and IBM’s collaboration would create conceptual designs for a SKA science computing system” ICRAR Director and Premier’s Research Fellow Professor Peter Quinn said.
“IBM is a world-leader in the field of technology development and its knowledge and expertise will help ICRAR develop tools to stream the colossal amounts of data at the speed the SKA demands.
“This partnership merges science with industry and will help Australia and New Zealand’s bid to host the SKA project in WA’s Mid-West.”
ICRAR, which was launched at the beginning of September, is an equal joint venture between Curtin University of Technology and The University of Western Australia. The Western Australian State Government has committed $20 million towards the centre’s establishment.
Photo: Left to Right - Peter Quinn - Director ICRAR, Glen Boreham - Managing Director IBM Australia and New Zealand, Hon Troy Buswell MLA - Minister for Science and Innovation.