supercomputer network using idle PS3 > General Discussion

Posted: 5/3/2007 9:19:49 AM EDT

Building Supercomputer Using Playstation 3

Scientists in the US are planning on building a supercomputer network from idle PlayStation 3 consoles sitting in gamers’ homes to tackle and help understand diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.

The application has been created by US biologists Folding@Home, who already run a series of research projects using PCs across the globe. The hope, is to use the massive processing power of Sony’s next-gen console, the PlayStation 3, to do more than just play games.

Gamers will be able to download a small application directly to the console, that uses their PS3’s processing power when they are leaving the machine idle. The application will then crunch small packets of data before sending it back over the internet to a central computer where all of the results can be viewed together by scientists. Using these collected data, scientists hope to get closer to the cause and cure for disease such as Alzheimer’s and cancer.

The system is already used by a number organisations for PCs connected online, including Folding@Home and SETI to look at a wide variety of problems from mapping diseases to looking for extra-terrestial life forms.

According to Folding@Home in a statement on its website; “Using the Cell processor of the PS3, we should be able to do more folding than what one could do on a PC. Also, since the PS3 has a powerful GPU, the PS3 client will offer real time visualization for the first time.”

An interface is expected to be ready for the console when it launches in November 2006.

The organisation has said that a network of 10,000 PS3 boxes would enable processing performance four times as fast as the most powerful supercomputer in the world, the IBM BlueGene/L computer in California.

Sony has announced that it is expecting to sell 12 million consoles in the first year alone and if the next-generation console goes as far as selling as many as the company’s current PlayStation 2 console, the super computer network could be as large as 100 million machines offering processing time.

So that is why sony is not releasing any games they want this expensive peice of crap to cure cancer, atleast somebody found a use for it...

( and no I am not a fan boy I have all 3 consoles )

Posted: 5/3/2007 9:25:04 AM EDT

[#1]

The GRID project sponsored by IBM does this already with pcs in the home and office. They've been mapping out genomes or somthing for Anthrax vaccines and cancer research.

It's a great idea, considering most companies leave pcs on at night anyway, might as well get some value out of all that wasted energy.

Posted: 5/3/2007 9:26:32 AM EDT

[#2]

Is it more powerful than this computer?

Posted: 5/3/2007 9:31:03 AM EDT

[#3]

distributed computing projects are nothing new...

distributed.net (rc5-64)
SETI@home
Prime 95

there are others for cancer research etc.

it's cool that they are going to set it up for PS3, but how many people actually leave their video game systems on 24/7 like they would a computer?

Posted: 5/3/2007 9:31:40 AM EDT

[#4]

This is like the SETI program that uses people's home computers to analyze radio telescope signals.

Semper Fi

ETA: beat by 37 seconds.

Posted: 5/3/2007 9:32:57 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
The GRID project sponsored by IBM does this already with pcs in the home and office. They've been mapping out genomes or somthing for Anthrax vaccines and cancer research.

It's a great idea, considering most companies leave pcs on at night anyway, might as well get some value out of all that wasted energy.

Actually this is the same project, "Folding@home" created by Stanford has been a competition between nerdy clans online, overclocking our computers to see which group can process the most information.

Sadly (or, awesomely) the unique architecture of the PS3 results in much ass kickage against our computer processors. In a nutshell, because the PS3 cell processor is much more specialized, it's many times more effective at folding.

Posted: 5/3/2007 9:42:19 AM EDT

[#6]

I have it on my PS3. The way Sony presents it (and I agree) is that it's just a cool thing to run as your 'screensaver' when the PS3 is idling. It idles much like any other computer FYI - it goes into 'hibernation' mode and the screen kind of dims. There's no need to turn it off like older consoles - it works pretty similar to a PC now in terms of power management.

As you can see at Folding@Home's stat page, the influx of PS3's really gave it a shot in the arm as far as processing power goes. The Cell processor in the PS3 is simply incredible in the kind of power it can harness.

(For reference to that stat page, you'll see the PS3's are putting out hundreds of TFLOPS. The world's fastest supercomputer - Blue Gene - has a peak performance of 280 TFLOPS)

So that is why sony is not releasing any games they want this expensive peice of crap to cure cancer, atleast somebody found a use for it...

Well, for one, it just launched about six months ago. Secondly, they have released games - MotorStorm and Resistance: Fall of Man being the big ones, but you can also get the Tom Clancy games (Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six (soon), etc.)

And this year will see the release of Killzone 3 probably, which Sony hopes will be a major competitor to Halo 3.

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