Google is
shutting down its scientific data service before it has come
out of beta.
The Google Research Datasets service was supposed to offer
scientists a way of storing massive amounts of data generated in
various scientific fields.
Datasets from scientist beta testers had already been uploaded
to the service's website.
The decision to axe the service has been made on cost grounds,
and follow Google's recent decision to
close down a virtual reality site - also in beta - at the end
of this month.
That closure was also down to cost-cutting, with Google saying
it now had to prioritise services that served the most users - and
attracted the most revenue.
Unlike other major web companies, Google seems to be aiming to
cut costs through streamlining services, rather than jobs. Yahoo,
for instance, has cut thousands of jobs this year.