A GLASGOW-based online visual content company has joined the fight to help find a Coronavirus vaccine by donating the use of thousands of pounds of computer equipment to US medical researchers.
Ground Level Up which specialises in visual content creation, data gathering and 3D mapping using drones, is giving Stanford Medical School in California access to its two 96 Terabyte servers currently lying idle at its offices while staff work from home.
Boss Carrick McLelland, who like his staff is now working from home to avoid non-essential contact with others due to the COVID-19 outbreak, said he and business partner Alistair Snowie began researching how they could put the powerful servers to good use during what could be a potentially lengthy period of self-isolation.
He discovered Folding@home, a project which allows researchers to use systems remotely which have downloaded their software to carry out studies that require huge amounts of computer power – including protein folding and other molecular dynamics.
By carrying out what are called protein dynamics simulations, it is hoped more rapid progress will be made in combatting the Coronavirus pandemic.
Carrick said:
“These servers have huge processing power – multiple people are able to
use them at the one time to download, edit an render digital material at the
same time.
“I think
it’s not only vital to keep massively powerful pieces of equipment like this in
use, but also to use them in the fight against Coronavirus.
“At the moment, I can’t think of a more important purpose for them than that.”
