NEC Corp plans to set up a supercomputer center in Canada to service US clients, a senior NEC executive told The Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The move follows an anti-dumping ruling against NEC by the US International Trade Commission. The ruling makes it virtually impossible for NEC to export supercomputers to the US, so it will instead open a service center in Canada – most likely Toronto – to provide processing services for US research organizations and universities. NEC will likely equip the center with its SX-4 supercomputers and communicate with clients via the internet. NEC expects to see significant demand for the service. In the meantime, the company will fight the ITC ruling in the US Court of International Trade, and appeal the findings of a US Commerce Department investigation in federal appeals court. NEC maintains that it has exported only six supercomputers to the US in the past, and none to any public agency, and thus refutes claims that could have harmed the US market. NEC hopes the Japanese government will consider arguing its case with the World Trade Organization.
