ArXiv receives $10M for upgrades (news.cornell.edu)

Article summary

ArXiv, a free distribution service and open-access archive for scholarly articles, has received over $10 million in gifts and grants from the Simons Foundation and the National Science Foundation. The funding will be used to migrate arXiv to the cloud, modernize its code, and ensure reliability, fault tolerance, and accessibility for researchers. ArXiv was founded in 1991 and is maintained and operated by Cornell Tech, serving researchers in various fields. The upgrades will also include hiring software developers and developing new search and recommendation techniques.

Main themes

• open-access publishing
• academic journals
• cloud migration
• funding and support
• industry involvement
• public infrastructure
• research accessibility
• NSF funding

What commenters say

• Some commenters argue that academic papers should be free and easily accessible, as they are created with grants and cost almost nothing to distribute.
• Others believe that the current system of closed journals is outdated and that modern search and computerized tools make them unnecessary.
• There is a concern that migrating arXiv to the cloud may lead to decisions being made outside of Cornell, potentially affecting the service's reliability and accessibility.
• Some argue that industry leaders, such as Google and Facebook, should contribute to funding arXiv, given the significant value they derive from it.
• Others counter that it is reasonable for the NSF to fund arXiv as a public infrastructure, promoting sciences and creating a common library of preprints.
• A few commenters express skepticism about the amount of funding, suggesting it may be excessive or potentially influenced by external factors.
• The use of arXiv by industry, particularly in the AI space, is seen as a significant benefit, but some argue that this should not come at the expense of taxpayers.
• The importance of maintaining public infrastructure, such as arXiv, is emphasized, as it allows industry to thrive and creates a low-friction business environment.