A consortium that includes technology companies Cisco and EMC Corporation will host and manage a $100 million high-performance, energy efficient computing center and research program in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe reports that the center will be managed as a collaborative effort between the two tech companies and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Massachusetts (UMass); the Massachusetts governor's office says Boston University will also participate. The Globe says Holyoke, located in the western part of the state, was chosen because of the availability of environmentally friendly hydroelectric power from the nearby Connecticut River. In a statement from the governor's office, MIT President Susan Hockfield says of the center, "Built to capitalize on local sources of green power, it will provide new opportunities for partnerships among private industry, government, and the academy, and foster the Commonwealth's innovation-based economy." Holyoke Mayor Michael J. Sullivan tells The Republican newspaper of Springfield that the center will bring thousands of jobs to the area; however, Greg Bialecki, the state's Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, cautions that "there's not going to be 1,000 or 2,000 jobs a year from now. It is our hope this facility will be an anchor for a high-tech district in Holyoke." The Globe says that the managing partners will spend the next 120 days planning such details as siting, organization, and funding.
