What’s new in software technology in Grenoble-Isere?
Force and tactile feedback from seismic data on a harpic virtual worktop
For several decades Grenoble-Isere has been a key global player in information and communications technology. It has succeeded in sustaining this dynamic over the years, constantly attracting new skills and technologies to feed the virtuous circle of innovation. The launch of the International Software and Smart Systems Cluster (Pilsi) is a good opportunity to take stock of ongoing developments.
Software technology in Grenoble-Isere accounts for 12,500 private-sector jobs, 2,000 more in public research and 2,200 degrees a year. The presence of firms such as HP, Sun Microsystems, STMicroelectronics, Bull, Orange Labs FT R&D and Xerox, combined with vibrant public research labs and top grade training resources contributes to Grenoble’s supremacy in this field. The setting up of Pilsi (see front page) is testimony to this expertise. “The cluster will enable us to reach beyond conventional research projects and attract new talent to bring forward concerted research partnerships between industrialists and academics,” explains Yassine Lakhnech, one of the founders of Pilsi.
Innovation in every direction
One of the challenges for software technology is to make digital devices and services more accessible by enhancing interaction between users and the virtual world. The launch of the Human Interaction Laboratories (Hilabs) is a good example of this trend. The start-up is deploying EyElight® technology, a remarkable innovation developed by Grenoble-based researchers which transforms any surface (glass, cardboard, concrete, etc.) into a touch-screen that reacts to movement of the hand. Drawn by the Grenoble-Isere dynamic, the Canadian firm Pyxis, which specializes in “agile” engineering methods and practice, opened an office in Grenoble in 2009 to train companies in how to use this approach to software development. Meanwhile Grenoble’s training resources are also doing their bit towards innovation, witness the start of a web-mediated university shared between Grenoble, Bangalore in India and Tomsk in Russia! The system, developed by Grenoble universities in 2009, is a decisive move in preparation for international training in nanoscience for the future.
PC cluster at INRIA Grenoble Rhone-Alpes
Looking forward to Green IT
The term “Green IT” encompasses the methods, soft and hard-ware that contribute to reducing the environmental impact of information technology, with measures targeting the whole valueadded chain from construction of the buildings which house data centres to the design of their component parts. This is obviously a most promising field, particularly when one considers that for high-performance computing 5% of the energy used is directed towards actual processing and the rest is absorbed by upkeep, cooling and security. “Five years ago computing made no allowance for energy consumption. All that mattered was performance. Today it is a crucial issue,” says Lakhnech. The Minalogic competitiveness cluster is fully aware of the problem and has set up a Green IT working group, which already has about 15 projects on its agenda. The French computer firm Bull recently developed bullx, a super-calculator which combines ultracompact design with one of the highest performance-consumption ratios in the world. Bull and Universite Joseph Fourier have established an emblematic partnership, the first step of which involves building an energy-saving computer room. Over the next three years UJF aims to halve electricity consumption in its server centres. With an increasingly well organized value-added chain, top quality resources and concerted action by public and private players, strong public demand and a wide range of potential applications, software technology can look forward to a promising future in Grenoble-Isere.