There has been some buzz recently about a deal between Berkeley, Microsoft, and Intel. It was officially announced today by the Newscenter:

The University of California, Berkeley, is partnering with Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to accelerate developments in parallel computing and advance the powerful benefits of multi-core processing to mainstream consumer and business computers.

Microsoft and Intel announced today (Tuesday, March 18) the creation of two Universal Parallel Computing Research Centers (UPCRC), the first at UC Berkeley and another at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The two centers comprise what is considered the nation’s first joint industry and university research alliance of this magnitude that is focused on mainstream parallel computing.

I read in a different source some of the research would be make available to the public via open source licenses.

Over the next five years, Intel and Microsoft expect to invest a combined $20 million in the two university centers, with each center receiving half. Researchers at the UC Berkeley center have also applied for a UC Discovery Grant, a matching grant mechanism that uses state and university funding to leverage industry investments in UC research.

People will probably say this is another example of the University selling itself out to corporations as they said about the BP deal. As I said for the BP deal, I will repeat. The University is not selling out. Berkeley is getting the prestige and funding to do cutting edge research. Professors and students are gaining invaluable experience and creating the next generation of technology. This is a win-win situation.

If Berkeley said no to this and every other deal that came up with corporate funding, the money would simply go to other universities. First the money would leave, then the research, the professors, and the students would follow it elsewhere.

I can’t wait to see the hippies in the trees make signs saying, “Stop Microsoft and Intel.”