Computing, networks, and telecommunications are driving factors in the growth of the economy, spreading the reach and impact of information nationally and globally, and changing the way that people and nations interact.

As a founder and host of the PlanetLab consortium, Princeton has taken a leadership position in networking, communications, and distributed application. In 2002, Princeton researchers, along with others at UC Berkeley, the University of Washington, and Intel, formed a multi-university and industry consortium to develop PlanetLab, an experimental global network of computers designed as a testing ground for a future generation of the Internet. Since then, more than 600 computers at over 300 institutions around the world have joined in the effort.