What is the Grid?

The Grid is the next step in exploiting networked computer power. Currently the Internet and World Wide Web allow us to share information and transfer data quickly and easily around the world. In the future the Grid will let us share computer processing power, software packages and data storage space.

The Grid has many applications, but its first major application will be to allow researchers at CERN to share global computing power to manage and process the huge quantities of data that will be produced by the LHC.  By linking desk top computers in a global network, managed by so-called middleware, the Grid brings supercomputing power to desk tops.

Through the organisation GridPP (Particle Physics Grid) the UK has a significant role in developing Grid computing and several GridPP computer ‘farms’ are located around the UK in University departments.

You can find more information on the GridPP website (link opens in a new window).

Home and office computer users can sign up to the LHC @ home (link opens in a new window) project (based at Queen Mary, University of London). This makes use of idle CPU time to run a simulation of proton bunches travelling around the LHC, to make sure their orbits are stable and the particles don’t hit the walls. So far, 40,000 users in more than 100 countries have contributed the equivalent of 3000 years on a single computer to the project.