Sunday, March 18, 2007

PLAYSTATION 3 THE CURE FOR CANCER?

There has been a lot of media attention concerning Dr. Frank Muellers' PS3 cluster for performing scientific research. For less than $5,000, he built a cluster of 8 PS3's and made himself a do-it-yourself supercomputer. Now more news has developed on a collaboration between Sony and Stanford University that has taken Dr. Franks idea to the next level. They're harnessing the processing power for PS3's all over the globe to study protein folding and misfolding in the human body. This can lead them to better understand and aid in finding a cure for diseases such as Cancer, Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease.


It is estimated that a cluster of 10,000 PS3's could make the most powerful supercomputer on the planet. This setup could dethrone the current #1 Supercomputer, the IBM BlueGene/L. The project is called Folding @ Home, and will be accessed directly from the PS3 XMB interface. This is truly remarkable and a testament to the consoles diversity. The unveiling of PS3 Home last week really showed the potential for PS3 to change gaming as we know it. Take a look at this Folding @ Home clip courtesy of medialink.com: LINK

2 Comments:

Mike Tyrell said...

But with Sony's battery history that will make the biggest fire ball in history

any way you put it its a bad idea

TriniMan said...

Luckily consoles don't run off Lithium ion batteries!