PS3 spare power could be used for medical research
We’ve reported before about the power of distributed computing networks all contributing processor time that would otherwise be idle in order to work on large-scale calculations in medical and mathematical projects.
Well, Sony has teamed up with US biologists to offer a feature whereby users can contribute their PS3’s spare computing power to a project at folding@home (FAH).
10,000 machines joined together would allow up to a thousand trillion calculations per second.
Whilst the PS3 has been designed for advanced gaming, it sounds as if the combination of its fast CPU and graphics chip will allow real-time medical viewing as well, through software being specially developed.
According to the BBC website:
When the program is released to PS3 owners, the scientists say they will be able to “address questions previously considered impossible to tackle computationally”.
So, when you get your hands on a PS3 and you feel like doing something more useful than shooting and killing things, this might be the project for you.
(Via BBC)
