Utlimate Local Loop (ULL) connects to 23rd most powerful computer in world

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Get ready to say hello to Zeke, The University of Louisiana's newest supercomputer. It will connect UL to the statewide network of supercomputers known as the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, or LONI, and the LambdaRail, which connects computers at research institutions around the country. UL will launch Zeke on Tuesday with a ceremony at the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Center. Steve Landry, vice president of academic affairs at UL, said the arrival of Zeke has many implications for local researchers and businesses. "What it does is it creates a strong partnership with the other research institutions in the state and puts the university and the university's research partners on the newest, most contemporary, fastest network available today," Landry said. The rest of the story Arnessa M. Garrett agarrett@theadvertiser.com

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LAFAYETTE — Decades ago, University of Louisiana at Lafayette professor Z.L. “Zeke” Loflin brought the first computer to campus. Loflin used that computer to come up with a technology that helped oil companies better monitor well production — which led to him forming his own business, ULL President Ray Authement said. In the current century, officials hope that Zeke, a supercomputer named for that early pioneer, will bring to campus a similar approach of public research that spurs economic development. Zeke is the supercomputer portal to ULL’s hub on the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, or LONI, and became officially operational Tuesday. LONI is a statewide, ultrafast, fiber-optic network that will allow researchers — and the supercomputers they use — to collaborate in real time at facilities across the state. And Louisiana will have a seat at the global collaboration table through LONI’s connection to the National Lambda Rail — which stretches from coast to coast. The rest of the story By KEVIN BLANCHARD Advocate Acadiana bureau

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Supercomputer could bring new avenues for area businesses Zeke, a supercomputer, was plugged in Tuesday at UL. Soon, a statewide network with five other universities in the state will provide endless opportunities for business in Louisiana. Together, they'll make up the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, where massive amounts of data can be processed and sent at high speeds. They'll connect nationally through another network - LambdaRail. The technology is unique to Louisiana and could draw businesses from a variety of fields, officials said. With multiple computers, high-powered Internet data transfers could be accessible for research or business all over the state. A model for success could be North Carolina's e-NC Authority. Donna Sullivan, senior program director for integration of communities/ innovation, was the keynote speaker at Tuesday's launch. The rest of the story Bob Moser bmoser@theadvertiser.com

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High-tech projects conceived by the city leaders years ago finally came to fruition in 2006. The opening of the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise center in September and UL joining the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative in December gives the area a window into a new world of technology, officials say. The LITE center offers unparalleled 3-D visualization technology and supercomputing power to area researchers and businesses, and LONI can connect them to institutions throughout the world. That duo has the potential to give the area's economy some new tools to compete. "We don't really go after technology for technology's sake. You go after technology so that it can grow business," said Gregg Gothreaux, CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. The rest of the story Arnessa M. Garrett agarrett@theadvertiser.com

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Downtown Baton Rouge is now home to one of the world’s 25 most powerful supercomputers, courtesy of a new “Queen Bee” in town, the Louisiana Board of Regents announced Monday. The new computing infrastructure and its 50 teraflops of power is affectionately named after Gov. Kathleen Blanco. She embraced the “Queen Bee” nickname given to her not-so-affectionately by state Rep. Troy Hebert after he was stripped of a committee chairmanship in 2004. Every teraflop is 1 trillion operations per second. The new computer is nearly 10 times more powerful than any of the supercomputers operating on individual university campuses. The cluster supercomputer is the “centerpiece” of the ambitious Louisiana Optical Network Initiative linking the state’s higher education. The rest of the story By JORDAN BLUM Advocate Acadiana Edition

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BATON ROUGE — Louisiana's supercomputer Queen Bee, the centerpiece of the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, is the 23rd most powerful supercomputer in the world. The ranking follows the release of the annual Top 500 Supercomputer Sites list this week during the International Supercomputing Conference in Dresden, Germany, according to a news release from Kevin Hardy of the Louisiana Board of Regents. Louisiana's Queen Bee is ranked fourth among the supercomputers owned by U.S. higher education institutions, the release states. The rest of the story