When we talk about why HPC matters, the discussion often leads to issues about staying competitive. But sometimes, there are great stories to be told about how HPC can change our lives, and this just might be one of them. Microsoft recently introduced Amalga Life Sciences 2009 at the Bio-ITworld Expo in Boston as “a new software system designed to transform healthcare and life science research data into the critical knowledge needed for the discovery of new personalized treatments.”
What I find interesting is the fact that this software “incorporates the innovative core technology components of Amalga Unified Intelligence System 2009 announced April 6“ and that Amalga is linked to HealthVault, which is an online repository where people can store and manage their health and wellness information. That’s one powerful (and somewhat scary) information repository.
Very exciting indeed, and I’m sure it’s no coincidence that these products are announced at the same time the government approved a stimulus package of $19 billion for healthcare IT — but technology by itself won’t improve patient care. So, what do you think? Is it really wise to spend all those dollars when the system itself is still broken?