Illinois snags computing research center

URBANA -- A new partnership between two massive computer companies and the University of Illinois will help consumer products use the same technology that drives high-speed supercomputers.

Under an agreement announced today, the U of I will become home to one of two new research centers funded by Microsoft Corp. and Intel Inc.

The $18 million Universal Parallel Computing Research Center will involve 22 faculty members from the school's computer science and computer engineering departments.

The center will begin work immediately to focus on mass-market use of so-called parallel computing, the process of having tasks performed at the same time on multiple processors.