Massive amounts of data from multiple storage sites connected by optical networks can be interactively visualized, analyzed and correlated with the OptIPuter, a distributed computer under development in a project headed by the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology in San Francisco. The OptIPuter is being tested on the University of California, San Diego, campus and is running on the Enstrada optical router from Chiaro Networks of Richardson, Texas.

The virtual metacomputer initially will comprise 500 processors connected with the router. This spring, additional fiber will be added to the chemistry, engineering and visual arts laboratories and to student dorms. The router will tie Linux PC clusters, multiterabyte data stores and advanced visualization facilities.

The five-year, $13.5 million project is funded by the National Science Foundation.