Don't Call Grid Peer-To-PeerDon't Call Grid Peer-To-Peer

Peer-to-peer technologies may capture all the buzz, but grid computing, which is based on the same basic techniques, has captured the attention of venture capitalists. Data-sharing grid software developer Avaki pulled in $10 million last week in a second round of funding led by Polaris Venture Partners.

The software developed by the Cambridge, Mass., company got its start seven years ago in the computer science department at the University of Virginia. "The original vision of grid computing was to be able to use computing resources as easily as a power grid," CEO David Fish says.

The idea was to create a distributed network of computers that shared files and looked like a single network, whether the machines ran Linux, Solaris, Unix, or Windows.

The cross-operating system capability is grid's key advantage over peer-to-peer, Fish says.

Avaki's grid technology, Fish says, is most applicable to the life-sciences industry, financial services, manufacturing, and engineering for design automation and supply-chain collaboration capabilities.