This document discusses the rise of connected data across various domains such as science, consumers, retail, industrial, sports, location, and multi-sensor applications. It describes how the amount of data generated today is exponentially larger than what could be stored in the Library of Congress. Various examples are provided on how connected data is being used for genomics research, video surveillance, recommendations engines, materials research, weather forecasting, and real-time analytics. The document argues that cloud computing provides the necessary infrastructure to collect, process and collaborate on massive connected data sets without limits.