New York-based DataSynapse, which provides commercial grid computing solutions to the financial services vertical, recently expanded its strategic relationship with Goldman Sachs. It's not just one of those hand-shake, hail-fellow-well-met type of strategic relationships -- it involves cold, hard cash. The amount of the investment was not disclosed, but additional investors in the Series D financing round included a number of big names: Bain Capital, Intel Capital, New York City Investment Fund and Silicon Alley Venture Partners.

What's most interesting, perhaps, is that Goldman Sachs will use DataSynapse’s GridServer® software for deployment in its global risk management area, starting in early 2005. With the deal, Goldman is touting itself as a "leader in leveraging grid-based computing for demanding financial applications."