Suzaku
Junior Commander
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- Joined
- Sep 10, 2006
- Messages
- 221
- Age
- 35
PS3... saves lives???
CNN news is reporting that owners of the PS3 will be able to donate their console's down-time to science, by taking part in a large-scale research network which will use the PS3's advanced processor to perform calculations for a Parkinson's research foundation. Doing this would reportedly increase the speed at which they will be able to run simulations anywhere from 5% to 50%, depending on the number of PS3s participating, possibly allowing simulations which would normally take two years to calculate to be done in a matter of months.
This type of network research has been done for ages, allowing networks of small computers to perform tasks which might normally require expensive supercomputers, but because the PS3's processor is essentially a prototype for future supercomputers, it will be far more effective for scientific calculations than normal computers, and thus be more effective than the usual network used like this. This isn't to say it's stronger than a regular computer, just that it's more effective at scientific calculations, and there is research to back that up.
In order to participate, you download a program and leave your machine on while not playing , data will be divided into chunks of between 10 to 20mbs and sent to participating machines, calculated, and then sent it back.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/09/18/playstation.folding/index.html
Of course, this is the PS3, there's gotta be a negative side for people to poke at, and supposedly, allowing your PS3 to continue to run like this in down-time could make your console wear out faster. Of course, I don't know if any studies have been done yet, or if that's just an assumption people have been making. I guess you still have the option to actually turn it off either way.
Interesting.
CNN news is reporting that owners of the PS3 will be able to donate their console's down-time to science, by taking part in a large-scale research network which will use the PS3's advanced processor to perform calculations for a Parkinson's research foundation. Doing this would reportedly increase the speed at which they will be able to run simulations anywhere from 5% to 50%, depending on the number of PS3s participating, possibly allowing simulations which would normally take two years to calculate to be done in a matter of months.
This type of network research has been done for ages, allowing networks of small computers to perform tasks which might normally require expensive supercomputers, but because the PS3's processor is essentially a prototype for future supercomputers, it will be far more effective for scientific calculations than normal computers, and thus be more effective than the usual network used like this. This isn't to say it's stronger than a regular computer, just that it's more effective at scientific calculations, and there is research to back that up.
In order to participate, you download a program and leave your machine on while not playing , data will be divided into chunks of between 10 to 20mbs and sent to participating machines, calculated, and then sent it back.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/09/18/playstation.folding/index.html
Of course, this is the PS3, there's gotta be a negative side for people to poke at, and supposedly, allowing your PS3 to continue to run like this in down-time could make your console wear out faster. Of course, I don't know if any studies have been done yet, or if that's just an assumption people have been making. I guess you still have the option to actually turn it off either way.
Interesting.
