Microsoft, Multicore, Parallel computing ...

Two things that caught my eye today; w.r.t microsoft.

1. Microsoft trying to make sense of multicore

and

2. Barcelona Supercomputing Center and Microsoft Create Joint Research Centre in Barcelona for Parallel Computing : Centre seeks solutions to challenges and opportunities coming with multi-core processors.

Few months before Supercomputing Expert Daniel Reed had joined Joins Microsoft Research
and there as an annoncement that Microsoft Research accelerates efforts in high-performance and multicore computing.

So where all these leading into? It seem with saturation and wonderfull penetration into the PC/desktop and consumer computing markets, Microsoft has been aiming to reorient the business strategy to bring the multicore and supecomputing domain to the consumer market. As such the early mover advantange will be beneficial to Microsoft; but subject to overcoming the barriers of technology.

No doubt, the era of Supercomputing and Parallel/High performance computing restricted in the scientific solutions/applications domain is going to end. There will more consumer-centric demand with the unfolding dynamics of business. Intersting times to see; and perhaps my dreams of "PARAM" (Indian Supercomputer) or a 20 GF Supercomputer on my desktop is not far off !!