PS3 Components Used To Build World's Fastest Computer

[mungopw]

Roadrunner, built by IBM with components originally developed for Sony's PlayStation 3, has become the world's fastest computer. The $133 million Roadrunner is capable of processing a petaflop of data, or 1,000 trillion calculations per second. Some observers see it as a U.S. resurgence in supercomputing.




http://www.data-storage-today.com/news/PS3-Parts-Power-Fastest-Computer/story.xhtml?story_id=020001XHADTW


talk about a modded ps3!

[Mels_Smileys45]

Bluh! I remember when some geeks chained 65 PS3s together back in 2003. It was useless then as it is now. What are they gonna do with these "Supercomputers"? Run an X Box 360 emulator to play Halo?

[mungopw]

im all for xbock never owned a psanything but the jist of the article sounds like it was done to save from doing any underground nuclear testing thus ensuring our arsenal of nuclear weapons remain robust in these days on world uncertainty (with lots of paraphrasing and commentry)

[Signa]

Bluh! I remember when some geeks chained 65 PS3s together back in 2003. It was useless then as it is now. What are they gonna do with these "Supercomputers"? Run an X Box 360 emulator to play Halo?

i dont remember that! you sure it wasnt Play Station *Two's* they linked together? 2003 was a little early for the PS3

[Mels_Smileys45]

i dont remember that! you sure it wasnt Play Station *Two's* they linked together? 2003 was a little early for the PS3

Yeah, typo. ps2

http://playthrough.net/2007/01/games/ps2-supercomputer-cluster-at-the-university-of-illinois/



I think a better project was the one where everyone allowed their PC to be used, linked by the internet, to work on big problems. Whatever happened to that?

[mountain_rage]

Well the article is wrong anyway, the cell processor was not designed specifically for the PS3, it was just one of its purposes, and if I recall correctly an afterthought. Some, myself included, would even say that it was overboard and ill suited for a console. The advantage it gave the companies involved in all other sectors however is substantial. Since the cell is used in mass production its very cheap. Due to its price, and apparent strength and parallel processing it has become ideal for servers and supercomputers. So although it might be giving many programmers headaches in the gaming world, its become a dream chip for scientists.