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PlayStation 3 recorded by Guinness for distributed computing achievement

In a move that will surely make both the research community and Sony smile, Guinness Worlds Records officially recognized the PlayStation 3 Folding@home network as the most powerful distributed computing network in the world. More than 670,000 PS3 consoles partook in the Folding@home program on September 21, making up a combined petaflop in overall computing power.

"To have Folding@home recognized by Guinness World Records as the most powerful distributed computing network ever is a reflection of the extraordinary worldwide participation by gamers and consumers around the world and for that we are very grateful," said Vijay Pande, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University and Folding@home project lead.

"Without them we would not be able to make the advancements we have made in our studies of several different diseases. But it is clear that none of this would be even remotely possible without the power of PS3, it has increased our research capabilities by leaps and bounds," added Pande.

"To have PS3 play such a large role in allowing Folding@home to be honored by Guinness World Records is truly incredible," said Masayuki Chatani, Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Technology Platform, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "This record is clear evidence of the power of PS3 and the contributions that it is making to the Folding@home network, and more importantly, scientific research."

The Folding@home program runs simulations in protein folding, helping scientists to understand – and hopefully curing – diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and certain forms of cancer.

Since joining Stanford University’s Folding@home program in March, the PlayStation 3 has led all processors in sheer productivity numbers.

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RE: F@H needs config option
By Goty on 11/6/2007 12:24:07 PM , Rating: 2
The reason the PS3 is so good at folding is because the Cell is a number-crunching beast. It's much more well suited to folding than gaming (at least until game programmers get the hang of coding for it).

The 360 could compete if a F@H client was developed to run on the GPU, but if comparisons to desktop GPUs are any indicator, it still wouldn't be quite as fast as the PS3.


RE: F@H needs config option
By deeznuts on 11/6/2007 12:59:12 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
The reason the PS3 is so good at folding is because the Cell is a number-crunching beast. It's much more well suited to folding than gaming (at least until game programmers get the hang of coding for it).
I think they are starting too though, and that's good news. Insomniac of course has gotten the hang of it easily. Naughty Dog is so excited about their Uncharted engine, they want to make a Jak and Dexter game, which I think they previously said was dead (the franchise).

COD4 by all accounts runs just as good as the 360 version, and if you remember, was not a port but developed independently.

Those calling the PS3 platform a crappy gaming platform are just fanboys, not fans of true gaming. There are games to be had across all 3 platfoms.


RE: F@H needs config option
By Chaser on 11/6/2007 5:46:37 PM , Rating: 2
Also Epic Game's Unreal Engine coming very soon for the PS3 as well.


RE: F@H needs config option
By bunnyfubbles on 11/6/2007 7:44:49 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The 360 could compete if a F@H client was developed to run on the GPU, but if comparisons to desktop GPUs are any indicator, it still wouldn't be quite as fast as the PS3.

I don't know what numbers you're using, but folding on an X1900 GPU clearly offers more folding power than a PS3 by a factor of 2 or more. If the 360's GPU is similar enough to the R520 then it could definitely compete with the PS3. Even more so if the CPU could be utilized as well. But the fact something hasn't been done before now tells me it probably isn't ideal for whatever reason.


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