Sun Opens its Third Corporate Research Center in Grenoble, France

Since its inception in 1982, Sun has proven that there are no limits to the possibilities of network computing. With the opening of Sun Labs Europe in Grenoble, Sun reaffirms its belief that there are no boundaries for great minds and great ideas.

In a celebration that will bring together senior executives from Sun, European government officials, and leading figures of Europe's computer science research community, Sun Labs Europe opens its doors as Sun's third advanced research center. Its mission is to seek innovation globally, develop breakthrough ideas that can be used to create breakaway products, and build relationships with computer and communications research communities throughout Europe and beyond.

Accent on Next-Generation Computing

Sun Labs Europe will focus primarily on next-generation computing and communications technologies that leverage Internet Protocol (IP) as the universal platform for anytime, anywhere network services. It will complement the activities of Sun Labs California and Sun Labs Massachusetts in exploring the boundaries of what is possible, with technology transfer as the ultimate goal.

"The mission of technology transfer is what sets Sun Labs apart," said Dr. Greg Papadopoulos, chief technology officer at Sun. "Sun Labs explores the big ideas that will someday result in new products and services that benefit our customers. A very high percentage of Sun Labs projects eventually become something tangible that ships, and we're very proud of that."

Examples of breakthrough products that were born or nurtured at Sun Labs include the original Java technology, the Sun Ray desktop appliance and Hot Desk technology, Sun Cluster software for high-availability computing, and many more.

Worldwide Cooperation

Sun Labs Europe will be a center of cooperation on many fronts and on a global scale. It will grow to approximately 30 researchers over the next two years, and will serve as Sun's nerve center for cooperative research projects taking place at universities, institutions, and independent teams across Europe and other regions. In addition, Sun Labs Europe will work closely with Sun's International Center for Network Computing (ICNC), which is physically located near the Sun Labs facilities in Grenoble and focuses on technologies integrated into Sun's network and software solutions.

Sun Labs also has developed associations with six of the Indian Institutes of Technology. Sun Labs Europe program development staff will create and guide similar working arrangements with other researchers throughout Europe.

Grand Opening Event

The grand opening celebration inaugurating Sun Labs Europe will take place on November 7, 2000, at the Chateau de Vizille, an historic chateau considered to be the true birthplace of the French Revolution. The chateau is currently owned by the Louvre and operated as a museum.

A blue-ribbon list of guests will attend and speak at the event, including Dr. Greg Papadopoulos, Sun's chief technology officer; Dr. Jim Mitchell, vice president and director of Sun Labs worldwide; Dr. Jeff Rulifson, director of Sun Labs Europe; and J. P. Baudouin, director and general manager of Sun ICNC. Dignitaries and technologists from throughout Europe also plan to attend, representing institutions such as Cambridge University (UK), University of Newcastle (UK), INRIA (France), Ecole Polytechnique (France), RWTH (Germany), and CNUCE-CNR (Italy).

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