Sun Microsystems has introduced a pay-for-use pricing model for grid computing, enabling customers to gain access to computing cycles on an on-demand basis. Grid cycles can be purchased in packs of hours through Sun, with prices starting at $1 per hour. . . .
Taking an innovative approach to the marketing of high-performance computing, Sun Microsystems Latest News about Sun Microsystems is offering its N1 Grid program in a pay-for-use pricing model that mimics the way such commodities as electricity and wireless Latest News about wireless phone plans are sold.

With prices starting at US$1 per processor Latest News about Processors, per hour, grid cycles can be purchased in packs of hours through Sun.

The company will offer a range of computing plans and will work with its partners on a wholesale basis to take this offering to its customers.

Clients can gain access to computing cycles on an on-demand basis without ownership or outsourcing Latest News about Outsourcing contracts. The idea is to provide lower shared-services costs matched with customers' workloads.

Handling Heavy Loads

Sun initially is targeting heavy, non-transactional workloads, such as computer-based simulations, modeling and rendering, that are optimized for so-called "supercomputing" systems.

Developers, enterprises and governments can use computing power on an hourly basis. Another focus area is software testing on standardized grids.