RackSpace to provide OpenStack hybrid cloud to CERN

Rackspace technology to store the 25 petabytes of data CERN generates every year

CERN has signed a year-long deal with Rackspace, which will see the cloud hosting provider aid the European Organization for Nuclear Research with a hybrid cloud solution powered by OpenStack.

CERN experiments, such as the Large Hadron Collider, produce more than 25 petabytes of data every year. Rackspace will therefore provide CERN with OpenStack software, enabling it to manage resources across the two data centres that power the Large Hadron Collider.

As part of the agreement, Rackspace will also fund a full-time member of staff to provide technical support for the hybrid solution. "We definitely see great value in open source technologies like OpenStack," said Tim Bell, infrastructure manager in the IT department at CERN.

"They foster continuous technological improvements through community contributions, while also giving us the ability to quickly address challenges, such as massive scaling, by leveraging the work of others.

"We're excited to partner with Rackspace in the CERN openlab framework, as we look for ways to accelerate our innovation on top of an OpenStack-based hybrid cloud," Bell concluded.

CERN's main purpose is to help solve some of the fundamental mysteries of the universe.

"This is a landmark moment for Rackspace, as we feel this is an opportunity to take our already mutually beneficial relationship with CERN to new heights," said Jim Curry, SVP and general manager of Rackspace Private Cloud.

"Through ongoing collaboration with CERN openlab, we will broaden the global reach of our hybrid cloud solutions, while simultaneously helping to set the pace of innovation within the field of particle physics," he added.