Advertisement
Promo

Server platforms Toolkit

Grid computing plays games

David Becker CNET News

Published: 04 Jun 2004 12:35 BST

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendly
  • Post Comment

Forget about banking or biotechnology -- one of the hottest emerging markets for makers of server hardware, software and services revolves around elves and magic potions.

Inspired by predictions of brisk growth in the $1bn (£0.54bn) online gaming market, IBM, Sun Microsystems and other companies normally not associated with dragon-slaying adventures have launched projects recently to handle the complex infrastructure needed to run online games.

IBM is one of the main backers of Butterfly.net, a growing effort to apply grid supercomputing techniques to operating online games. The company is busy adapting other aspects of its "on-demand computing" strategy to running games.

Sun last year formed a Game Technologies Group aimed at expanding the use of Java as a game foundation and promoting Sun hardware and service to run online games.

Then there's database giant Oracle, which adapted its grid-computing technology to host the high-profile "Sims Online" game, and telecom giant Alcatel. They and other companies make it look like the game industry is turning into a new playground for enterprise technology companies.

"The gaming industry is really going through a transition now," said Steve Canepa, vice president of IBM's media and entertainment group. "We think there's a real opportunity for IBM to play a role in that transition."

Revenue from the North American online game market is currently estimated at just short of $1bn, according to research firm IDC, with 20 percent annual growth expected over the next few years. Researcher Themis Group expects the worldwide market will grow to $9bn in 10 years, thanks to rapid growth in Asia.

Next

Previous

1 2 3 4


  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendlyPrint with EPSON

Did you find this article useful?
325 out of 585 people found this useful


Full Talkback thread

1 comment

  1. Belated move. The future of games has been apparen... Kikki Bona Sijabat

Company/Topic Alerts

Create a new alert from the list below:






Video icon

Video

Microsoft Futures

Windows 7: Mixed reviews from PDC attendees

As developers received their copies of Windows 7 on Tuesday, they offered varied reactions to the Microsoft operating system update More

Microsoft floats clouds on Windows Azure

At the Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft announced the Azure Services Platform, the company's cloud-computing platform More

Ozzie: Success of Azure comes down to trust

In an interview, Ray Ozzie says businesses will be taking a risk by placing core operations in Microsoft's datacentre, but that the software giant has more to lose if things go bad More


Skip Sub Navigation Links to CNET Brand Links

Help

Become part of the ZDNet community.

Newsletters