PS3 For Distributed Computing
It?s a gaming machine with a supercomputing side. Sony hopes owners of its PlayStation 3 will link the console into distributed computing to boost academic research with idle computing power.
In a Stanford University campus event on Thursday, Sony and Stanford representations unveiled a new partnership for the school?s Folding@home distributed computing project that could help researchers learn more about deadly diseases.
The move underscores Sony?s desire to push the PS3 hardware beyond video games and highlights the Cell?s adoption in powerful computing applications.
Computing strength like this can take years to get. ?Our hope is that this becomes like a time machine,? said Vijay Pande, director of Stanford?s Folding@home project.
