PS3 Cures Cancer?
Stanford University has found a certain new network of supercomputers to help in its study of what causes diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis and many cancers.
Published: March 15, 2007
When Ken Kutaragi declared that the PlayStation 3 was not a game console, but in fact, a computer, many wondered if Sony's bold undertakings would isolate the established PlayStation brand from its core gamer market. And assuredly, while company has continued to push the PS3 first and foremost for its gaming capabilities, it has also begun to tap into that computing potential for a greater cause. Best of all, it could all be done from the comfort of its users' homes.
Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that it plans to use its breakthrough technology - specifically, the PS3's Cell Broadband Engine - in conjunction with Stanford University's Folding@home program, a project that harnesses the power of a distributed supercomputing network in order to simulate the folding and unfolding of protein. The study is used to further understand the causes of many diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis and several forms of cancers.
Scientists previously used standard personal computers to complete the process, where information would be sent off to millions of PCs, tabulated separately and then sent back to a central computer. But as the FAH program may have taken 5-10 years to compute its data on a normal network of PCs (or nearly 30 years on a single computer), using the PS3's processing power, at roughly 10 times the speed of a standard computer chip, it can reduce this process to just a few months. In hypothesis, nearly 10,000 PS3s could be accomplishing the same work as a current network of 200,000 PCs.
"Millions of users have experienced the power of PS3 entertainment. Now they can utilize that exceptional computing power to help fight diseases," affirms Masayuki Chatani, Corporate Executive and CTO Computer, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "In order to study protein folding, researchers need more than just one super computer, but the massive processing power of thousands of networked computers. Previously, PCs have been the only option for scientists, but now, they have a new, more powerful tool -- PS3."
Sony will make Folding@home accessible to PS3 owners in its latest firmware update, 1.6, which launches at the end of this month. Users will then have the option of either defaulting their system to run the program when the PS3 idles, or manually accessing the FAH icon through the XrossMediaBar (XMD) to experience it themselves. As the protein folding process takes place on-screen, users can rotate or zoom in and out on each strand using the SixAxis. Additionally, they'll be able to view a "live" map that identifies where other PS3 owners are running the FAH program.
"We're thrilled to have SCE be part of the Folding@home project," gushes Vijay Pande, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University and Folding@home project lead. "With PS3 now part of our network, we will be able to address questions previously considered impossible to tackle computationally, with the goal of finding cures to some of the world's most life-threatening diseases."
SCE says it will continue to play a part in the advancement of science, using the PS3 to assist with several other distributed computing projects in various academic fields including medical and social sciences and environmental studies. We'll be sure to report back once that potentially live-saving firmware update drops.
Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that it plans to use its breakthrough technology - specifically, the PS3's Cell Broadband Engine - in conjunction with Stanford University's Folding@home program, a project that harnesses the power of a distributed supercomputing network in order to simulate the folding and unfolding of protein. The study is used to further understand the causes of many diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis and several forms of cancers.
Scientists previously used standard personal computers to complete the process, where information would be sent off to millions of PCs, tabulated separately and then sent back to a central computer. But as the FAH program may have taken 5-10 years to compute its data on a normal network of PCs (or nearly 30 years on a single computer), using the PS3's processing power, at roughly 10 times the speed of a standard computer chip, it can reduce this process to just a few months. In hypothesis, nearly 10,000 PS3s could be accomplishing the same work as a current network of 200,000 PCs.
"Millions of users have experienced the power of PS3 entertainment. Now they can utilize that exceptional computing power to help fight diseases," affirms Masayuki Chatani, Corporate Executive and CTO Computer, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "In order to study protein folding, researchers need more than just one super computer, but the massive processing power of thousands of networked computers. Previously, PCs have been the only option for scientists, but now, they have a new, more powerful tool -- PS3."
Sony will make Folding@home accessible to PS3 owners in its latest firmware update, 1.6, which launches at the end of this month. Users will then have the option of either defaulting their system to run the program when the PS3 idles, or manually accessing the FAH icon through the XrossMediaBar (XMD) to experience it themselves. As the protein folding process takes place on-screen, users can rotate or zoom in and out on each strand using the SixAxis. Additionally, they'll be able to view a "live" map that identifies where other PS3 owners are running the FAH program.
"We're thrilled to have SCE be part of the Folding@home project," gushes Vijay Pande, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University and Folding@home project lead. "With PS3 now part of our network, we will be able to address questions previously considered impossible to tackle computationally, with the goal of finding cures to some of the world's most life-threatening diseases."
SCE says it will continue to play a part in the advancement of science, using the PS3 to assist with several other distributed computing projects in various academic fields including medical and social sciences and environmental studies. We'll be sure to report back once that potentially live-saving firmware update drops.
