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First there was the mainframe. Then came the personal computer. Now the third wave of computers is here.

Thanks to a former University of Toronto professor and two of his computer friends, Markham-based Platform Computing is leading the way in grid computing — and generating about $60 million (U.S.) a year in annual sales.

"It's like Husky dogs," explains Songnian Zhou, 48, about the software Platform provides. "They can run wild, or you can harness the power ... Everyone wants a more powerful computer, but they've already got one."

Platform's software unleashes the brain power that a computer doesn't use. Network computers use between 5 and 20 per cent of their processing power. Grid, or distributed, computing increases that capacity to between 80 and 90 per cent.

Zhou, who was born in Beijing, came up with the idea when he was a PhD student at Berkeley University in California in the mid 1980s.

"I treated the computer network like a power grid," the CEO and chairman of Platform explains, speaking of his thesis. If power wasn't being used in one place, it would be used in another.

"I knew the mega trend was grid computing and in 1987 I saw this clearly."

After successfully defending his thesis that year, Zhou was offered a teaching position at the University of Toronto, which he accepted. Though he figured his future was in academia, he continued his research in grid computing with a $1 million research grant.

"In 1990, I got the attention of Nortel," remembers Zhou. The once high-flying technology empire recognized that Zhou was working on a project that had real world application, and wasn't a pie-in-the-sky academic exploration.

Knowing that Nortel would be an immediate customer, and believing it would be an easy sell, Zhou approached companies to purchase the software. He tried IBM, Digital (now part of IBM) and Sun Microsystems.

"I said, `Here's the software,' but nobody took it."

So, Zhou had to make a choice.

"I could do something about it, or continue to do research," he recalls. "There's lots of great ideas that are write-only jobs ... ideas where nobody takes the baby and grows it into a man."

Not wanting to see his research be part of the archives of great ideas that never were, Zhou started Platform Computing in 1992. The same year he was rewarded with that which most young professors dream about: tenure.

But Zhou has no regrets; Platform has been profitable from the beginning.

"We didn't get any venture capital money," he says. "I believed that if there was value, it would stand on its legs."

`It's like Husky dogs ... They can run wild, or you can harness the power'

Songnian Zhou, founder of Platform Computing

True to its early interest, Nortel was one of Platform's first clients.

"Nortel has stayed with us through thick and thin," he says proudly, attributing the longevity of the relationship to a quality product.

Another early client was aviation giant Pratt & Whitney. Platform demonstrated that Boeing 777 engine simulators Pratt was designing could be run on existing computers. Pratt was delighted because it had thought it would have to invest in a more powerful — and more expensive — system.

Platform's business has grown to a client list of 1,600. But Zhou says the company hasn't grown because of efforts spent on devising a strategy.

"I know the strategy," he says. "We are the market leader and we need to maintain that. No one has caught up."

Zhou says even if competitors imitate, they won't replicate Platform's success.

"It's like Harry Potter," he says. Others might copy the author's idea, but "there's a first-mover advantage" that laggards can't obtain.

"We have grown and will continue to grow because of execution."

To continue the growth, Zhou says he needs employees on his team who know more than him. "I'm just a generalist," admits Zhou. "I'm not the best at everything."

He's hired "world-class" vice-presidents and is "quite keen" to have seasoned professionals who have cut their teeth at companies like Sun Microsystems, Oracle and Compaq.

The strategy for global expansion is the same. Before investing in a new office — the company has more than 15 offices in North America, Europe and Asia — Zhou will build partnerships to test the waters and learn how best to approach business in the country. He'll learn from others, and then invest.

Zhou, who considers himself a pragmatist, is humble about his personal accomplishments. He says that he is like other immigrants who have succeeded in their new country. But he is proud about the jobs he has created for 400 people.

"These are high-skill jobs."

And jobs he believes will allow his staff to unleash their untapped brain power.

In the next five to 10 years, Zhou wants to see the company continue to grow. He has been approached by uninvited prospective buyers, but so far, he hasn't sold.

"I've stopped making predictions long ago. I thought I would just do this for a few years."

For now, Zhou is content being the professor who saw — and thrived — beyond the ivory tower.