London,UK, May 24, 2006 – Platform Computing (www.platform.com), the global leader in enterprise grid computing, today announced that as a result of increasing demand from universities, Eduserv Chest, a not-for-profit organisation that negotiates and licenses software and information services for higher education in the UK and Ireland, has accepted Platform as a registered supplier of grid software. Universities in the program can now take advantage of lower negotiated rates for Platform LSF HPC using a simplified procurement process managed by Eduserv Chest. Widespread availability of Platform’s grid software will enable even more educational institutions to efficiently leverage their computing resources.

Universities across the UK generally implement single clusters of computing resources to support individual departments and research projects in, for example, the physics or engineering units. Typically, these clusters will be hosted on a variety of platforms without a heterogeneous structure resulting in computing resource that cannot be shared across silos if one department hits its capacity. Increasingly, universities are realising the benefit of sharing clustered resources and ultimately standardising on one infrastructure to streamline IT. Eduserv Chest’s agreement now enables them to invest in the highest quality grid technology from Platform to help them achieve this goal.

Dominique Comte of Platform Computing said, "We are excited about this agreement with Eduserv Chest and the opportunities for us to work with even more UK universities. The arrangement with Eduserv Chest will enable increased resource sharing and encourage the infrastructure standardisation on a heterogeneous platform. The cutting edge research produced by universities should never be limited by the computing power and access to Platform LSF HPC will help overcome this limitation."

Paul Hatton of the University of Birmingham said, "The University of Birmingham prides itself on its research excellence and so it is critical to have the technology tools to sustain and grow our programs. The Eduserv Chest program enables us to leverage our computing resources more efficiently by implementing Platform LSF HPC and helping us to keep pace with research institutions around the world."

Platform technology is currently being used by several institutions in the UK and Ireland including Cambridge, Birmingham, Manchester, Coventry, York, Durham and Queens University Belfast.

About Platform Computing
Platform Computing is the global leader for grid computing solutions and a technology pioneer of the supercomputing world. The company's solutions for enterprise and high performance computing helps the world's largest organizations integrate and accelerate business processes, to increase competitive advantage and enjoy a higher return on investment from IT. With over 2000 customers, the company has achieved a clear leadership position in the market through a focus on technology innovation and execution. Founded in 1992, Platform Computing has strategic relationships with Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Novell and Red Hat, along with the industry's broadest support for third-party applications. For more information please visit www.platform.com.

About Eduserv Chest
Eduserv Chest is a division of Eduserv, a charity which works with partners to maximise the benefits of IT for learning, research and the wider public good. A not-for-profit organisation, Eduserv Chest negotiates with suppliers on behalf of universities and colleges, so that they can purchase e-resources easily and cost effectively.