US Air Force buys 2200 PlayStation 3s
The US Air Force has bought more than 2000 PS3s to help build a supercomputer array for military research.
According to Eurogamer the US Air Force is adding 2200 new PlayStation 3s to an existing array of 336 consoles already being used in the Air Force Research Laboratory based in Rome, New York.
The PS3s will apparently all get networked together and the Air Force will make use of Sony's Cell processor for military research in the fields of multiple radar imaging and high-definition video processing.
The most interesting application of all for the PlayStation 3 though is new research into neuromorphic computing. That's a new field of computing which tries to build PCs that can analyse information in ways similar to a human brain!
That's just the research they've seen fit to announce too, so who knows what other Top Secret plans Sony's console could be put to use on!
The PlayStation 3 isn't the only console getting interest from military concerns though. Just yesterday the UK intelligence body CGHQ announced it was going to start advertising on Xbox Live as part of a recruitment drive.
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I know it's not a PS3 game, but imagine how tense a good game of DEFCON would be in the War Room!
Thats going to be a waste of money then seen as the new slim ps3's don't support 3rd party OS'es
I believe a PS3 gives more flops per watt than a video card, also, I'm thinking if they're not for gaming, they'd have to be the old fat ones to support Linux. Kind of strange o.O
PS3s are better in some areas, and does draw lesser power.
And they take up lesser space.
I'm still not convinced... either I'm wrong or times have changed and governments ARE actually capped by a budget
cost would be one
yes, I know..... to me this seems silly, but the US is never known for intelligent ideas
if the US Air Force is going all eco on us, does that mean missiles and nukes are going to be filled with pot pourri now :?
(It is now discontinued, btw)
Very modular, easy to swap out nodes as and when. No need to keep a massive stock of spare boards, dimms etc.
If you want to build a supercomputer you want each node to be as fast as possible while being as architectually simple as possible. An i7 + SLI + CUDA solution (for example) will no doubt be great but is based on tech designed to be compatible and expandible. A console is just plug and play
They've had an existing array, they also didn't mention if they had bought the Slim PS3s or the regular PS3s. Being a government agency and buying so many, they had a say in which version of the PS3 they bought.
What is funny is that they actually cost Sony a bunch of money because they are not going to buy any games rofl
I completely forgot about that :)
Or maybe they've got the inside line on 3D porn that WILL arrive in 2010 with the PS3's 3D...
It's FPCON now. DEFCON was done away with a while ago.
This masterpiece was created in partnership between Sony Toshiba and IBM. you can put a Cell processor in a T.V. then connect it to a PS3 and the two cpu's will work together to maximize the performance of both devices simultaneously. Then if the T.V.'s performance is maxed out then the Chip in the T.V. will help push the PS3 to it's limits or vice versa.
The Cell is the new wave of processing architecture. The A.I. in PS3 games are gonna really be challenging once developers fully understand and learn how to "PROPERLY" program for the CELL.
Right now the Cell is very under used as far as games go. To get the most out of the Cell you have to "order program" for it correctly then basically "over program" for it so it utilizes all it's resources.
When multiple Cell run devices or processors are connected together think of it like the Borg from Star Trek, multiple minds working together or independently for one cause.
Xenons and I7 are fast, they take random data in any order and calculate it quickly then spit it out at mind blowing speeds. (current programming methods are basically an extention of these kind of cpus)
The Cell (for now) has to be taught in what order, so to speak the calculations it will perform for what ever it's doing (Like a human learning numerical order before figuring out addition) once order is programed the Cell decides how to process things through out it's architecture or load and offload duties to other Cell's in other connected devices.
The more you throw at it the better it performs because it starts to utilize more of it's resources but like everything it has a tipping point unless it senses other Cell processors are connected then it just splits the work between them. Awesome!
So you are saying that two cell processors can network through your TV/PS3 RGA or HDMI cable and with no code other then whatever instructions are on the chip will form some sort of hive mind?
I'm not familiar with this technology is it possible that you could post links so I can do some research?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8362825.stm
So you can see that this isnt a flight of fancy. Massive Parralell procesing(MPP) is the current flavour in this market
And if it develops sentience in the Air Force base, we're screwed. All those military hardware under it's fingertips... Skynet Mk II?
Yes The Cell can. It transfer data from spe to spe via your network and no code is needed because it just uses the the data I/o of your operating system.
Toshiba has a TV with a cell processor in it that can display 48 picture in pictures screen all at once all at 1080p resolution.
When connected to a PS3 the via hdmi cable the number of screens increased but they didn't specify.
Just google "The Cell project at IBM Research" and you will be informed.
Happy reading.