Maplesoft Teams with Top French Research Centers to Bring Mathematical Solvers to Market.

WATERLOO, Canada -- Solvers for Algebraic Systems and Applications (SALSA) Research Group to Advance Maple's High-Performance Engineering and Scientific Computing

Maplesoft(TM), the leading provider of high-performance software tools for engineering, science and mathematics, the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA) and the Computer Science Laboratory of Paris 6 (LIP6) at the Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC) jointly announced today that they have entered a cooperative research project centered around the Solvers for Algebraic Systems and Applications (SALSA) group. As a result, SALSA's research advancements in mathematical solvers will be integrated into Maplesoft's product line, ensuring commercial availability of these breakthroughs.

The SALSA team, headed by Dr. Fabrice Rouillier and Dr. Jean-Charles Faugere, researches and develops algorithms for exact and numerical solutions of systems of polynomial equations. Such equations constitute one of the most important mathematical areas for high-performance computing in engineering and science. Polynomial equations are central to a variety of application areas including robotics, coding theory, cryptography and signal processing. As part of the initiative, Maplesoft expects these powerful methods, well known under the names FGb and RS, to be a clear market differentiator for future releases of its products, including its flagship product Maple.

"The SALSA group has produced the world's most powerful validated solvers for systems of polynomial equations," said Maplesoft's Chief Scientist Dr. Laurent Bernardin. "This partnership is another clear indication of Maplesoft's commitment to provide customers with the absolute best technology to meet the challenges of modern high-performance computation."

"The goal of our polynomial system solving research is to advance engineering and scientific computing performance," said Dr. Sophie Cluet, Director of the Rocquencourt research unit of INRIA. "While it is exciting in its own right, the industry potential of our work is the real driver for this project. By integrating our results into its software, Maplesoft serves as the critical bridge between intellectual pursuit and widespread commercial impact."

About SALSA

The SALSA research project aims to design and implement algorithms for solving polynomial systems. Results have already been obtained by the SALSA research project in such areas of research as simulation, control and diagnostic of parallel manipulators, celestial mechanics, cryptography, image compression and biophysics. SALSA is a joint research project of INRIA and LIP6 (UPMC), located in Rocquencourt and Paris. For more information, visit http://www.inria.fr/recherche/equipes/salsa.en.html.

About INRIA

The mission of the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control is to carry out research in Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies (ICST). Through six research units located in major regions, INRIA employs a workforce of 3,500 people, including 2,700 scientists (from INRIA and associate organizations). INRIA's annual budget is EUR 135 million (excluding VAT), 20% of which comes from its own resources (contracts, licenses). INRIA plays a decisive role in five areas of research: communicative, cognitive, symbolic, numerical and biological systems.

INRIA develops many partnerships with industry and fosters technology transfers and business creation in the field of ICST, in particular through its affiliate, INRIA-Transfert, which operates four seeding funds. International partnerships involve receiving and recruiting foreign students, as well as numerous exchanges among researchers. Priority is given to geographic regions with high economic potential: the European Research Area, Asia and North America, while maintaining basic activity with South America, Africa and the Middle East. For more information, visit http://www.inria.fr.

About the Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC), Paris 6 Science/Medicine

Twenty percent of French scientific theses stem from Pierre & Marie Curie University, Paris 6. Doctoral students are hosted in 20 specific, Doctoral School structures. UPMC has more than 6,500 foreign students in science and medicine, making it one of the most multi-national universities in France. This university of science and medicine works jointly with other universities and research centers in different countries throughout Europe and across the world in both teaching and research in many fields of excellence,

Basic facts:

--4,000 researchers and teachers/researchers

--3,000 engineers, technicians and administrative staffs

--180 research laboratories

--7 affiliated hospitals

--3 marine stations

--30,000 students (10,000 medical students; 20,000 science students)

The university has an outstanding proportion of 3,200 doctoral students and 3,000 students in areas of medical specialisation. For more information, visit http://www.upmc.fr.

About LIP6

LIP6 is a joint research laboratory of the University Pierre & Marie Curie (UPMC) and the CNRS. With 150 permanent researchers and 250 doctoral students, LIP6 is one of France's principal computer science laboratories, and it is the largest one in the Paris area. The laboratory is engaged in a broad spectrum of research activities, organized into five areas: Scientific Computing; Decision-Making, Intelligent Systems, and Operations Research; Databases and Machine Learning; Networks and Distributed Systems; and System-on-Chip. In addition to its basic research, the laboratory has a strong tradition of cooperation with industrial partners on national and European R&D projects. The laboratory also shares two research groups with INRIA. International cooperation is at the core of the laboratory's activities. LIP6 participates in several EU Networks of Excellence and has also developed close research relationships with groups in many different non-EU countries (Brazil, U.S.A., etc.). The laboratory is open to developing new common research or educational projects, and actively welcomes scientific visitors.

About Maplesoft

Maplesoft is a leading developer and provider of interactive mathematical software. Its suite of products includes Maple, the most powerful and intuitive tool for solving complex mathematical problems and creating rich, executable technical documents; MapleNet(TM), a Web-based platform for sharing Maple content for collaboration and e-learning; and Maple T.A.(TM), a Web-based system for creating tests, assignments and exercises, automatically assessing student responses and performance. Its standards-compliant algorithms are renowned for their speed, accuracy and reliability. In addition, Maplesoft leads the market with innovations that make the management of technical knowledge - whether in industry or in a classroom - more effective and efficient. Over two million users at thousands of organizations benefit from advanced Maple technology. The Maplesoft commercial customer base includes Boeing, Bosch, Canon and NASA. Additionally, virtually every major university and research institute in the world, including MIT, Stanford, Oxford and Waterloo, has adopted Maplesoft products to enhance its education and research activities. For more information, visit www.maplesoft.com.