Singaporean cloud computing startup gets strategic funding from Japan’s Global Brain

The global market for public cloud computing is worth US$190 billion, experts estimate that it will reach US$300 billion by 2021. At present, the sector is dominated by huge centralized providers such as AWS and Google Cloud.

Perlin, a Singapore-based cloud computing startup, hopes to change the status quo via its decentralized platform and create “an affordable source for cloud users everywhere.” It will focus on computing power for AI, particularly in social and environmental applications like cancer research and climate change.

Dorjee Sun, Perlin’s CEO and project manager, thinks that centralized cloud computing providers are disproportionate in price. “Getting access to cheap, abundant, and reliable cloud power is becoming increasingly difficult as demand continues to skyrocket,” he says.

“Computational power required by AI firms is doubling every 3.5 months. The inability to access affordable cloud computing [could] stifle innovation and slow technological, economic, and social advancements,” Sun explains.

To achieve its vision, the startup has welcomed Japanese investment firm Global Brain as a strategic funding partner today. The investment amount is undisclosed.

The partnership will allow Perlin to tap into its investor’s network, starting with a demo day with 700 of Global Brain’s partners and portfolio companies tomorrow. Global Brain will also explore opportunities to use Perlin’s compute layer and ledger internally.

Rent out unused computing

Perlin is also taking its cloud services a step further. The company wants to establish itself as the “Airbnb of cloud computing” and allow device owners to rent out their spare computing power.

Sun calls it creating a new kind of universal basic income, where people around the world can earn passive income from their devices. “When you’re asleep, your computers, phones, gaming consoles, and other smart devices aren’t being used. That is a big amount of potential compute power wasted.”

The company has signed on 60 cloud partners and 180 strategic tie-ups to drive supplier and user adoption. Sun thinks this is sufficient to bootstrap the platform from launch.

“We are also aggressively sourcing new partners, suppliers, and users to grow the business,” shares Sun. “Significant funds have been reserved for education, partnerships, and business development for the next five years.”