US Air Force orders 2,200 PS3's

[doctorD]

Found this article interesting. Make sure you read some of the funny replys to the article. Enjoy!

Link

US Air Force orders 2,200 PS3s
By Tom Magrino, GameSpot Posted Nov 23, 2009 3:35 pm PT Government's aviation arm to expand its current console-based cluster powered by Sony's Cell processor to broaden supercomputer research.


Engineers outside of the game industry continue to find uses for the powerful Cell processors housed within Sony's PlayStation 3. Last week, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crimes Center said that it had begun using networked PS3s to crack encrypted caches of child pornography. The console has also been used as part of the Folding@home disease research project.

This week, it's the US Air Force that has begun to expand its current network of PS3s used for supercomputing research. As reported by Information Week, the Air Force plans to purchase 2,200 PS3s to add to its current network of 336 systems, which is housed at the Air Force Research Laboratory's information directorate in Rome, New York.


The PS3 is nothing if not multifunctional.
According to the Air Force's requisition form, its current PS3 cluster has studied such topics as Back Projection Synthetic Aperture Radar Imager formation, High Definition Video image processing, and Neuromorphic Computing. The expanded network will be used to study various software applications, including Advanced Computing Architectures and High Performance Embedded Computing.

The Air Force's form also notes that while the PS3's processor is less powerful than other Cell-based processors, it is substantially less expensive.

"With respect to cell processors, a single 1U server configured with two 3.2GHz cell processors can cost up to $8K while two Sony PS3s cost approximately $600," the form reads. "Though a single 3.2 GHz cell processor can deliver over 200 gigaflops, whereas the Sony PS3 configuration delivers approximately 150 gigaflops, the approximately tenfold cost difference per gigaflops makes the Sony PS3 the only viable technology for [high performance computing] applications."

Information Week reports that the Department of Defense awarded the Air Force Research Laboratory $2 million in June to conduct its Cell processor-based studies as part of its High Performance Computing Modernization Program.

[Azyiu]

I think the AF should have waited until March for the GT5 bundle.

[Clark Kent]

While a cool story, buying PS3's for any purpose other than as a console for PS3 games hurts Sony and their long-term ability to compete in the market. The hardware is sold at a loss to entice customers to go out and buy licensed games at $59.99.

[cajmoyper]

I thought they'd use Warhawk as a sim....sych!

[xtop]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

While a cool story, buying PS3's for any purpose other than as a console for PS3 games hurts Sony and their long-term ability to compete in the market. The hardware is sold at a loss to entice customers to go out and buy licensed games at $59.99.

shame on the air force for taking away a few dollars from sony! wtf were they thinking?! gamerz 4 teh winz!!?!??

[androvsky]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

While a cool story, buying PS3's for any purpose other than as a console for PS3 games hurts Sony and their long-term ability to compete in the market. The hardware is sold at a loss to entice customers to go out and buy licensed games at $59.99.

It's nice marketing. Besides, they can't even use Slims for this because they can't run Linux, so it's fat models that are out of production that they're buying, if that helps any.

[plee]

Originally Posted by androvsky

It's nice marketing. Besides, they can't even use Slims for this because they can't run Linux, so it's fat models that are out of production that they're buying, if that helps any.

I'm sure Sony will put that option back for them....

[Sponge-worthy]

Probably snatching up the 'older' ones while they can so they can run Linux on them.

[picture_shooter]

There goes more tax dollars that we pay for our military to play GTA4 while CQ / Guard Duty

[mikejet]

What about the Navy, Army, and Marines?

[ScarredLungs]

Interesting Article!

They had some good comments. Here are two of my favorite ones

no matter what the Air Force says as their reason for getting 2200 PS3's, we all know the REAL reason: They are gonna have LAN parties just for MAG.

PS3 fights crime, finds terrorist, and finds cure for cancer. when you get bored doing all that then pop in some little big planet and have fun!

[jono_0101]

no matter what the Air Force says as their reason for getting 2200 PS3's, we all know the REAL reason: They are gonna have LAN parties just for MAG.

this is what i was thinking!

[Rike255]

Awesome, maybe I should forward this to my boss at work. We spend hundreds of thousands of $$$ upgrading servers around here.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

While a cool story, buying PS3's for any purpose other than as a console for PS3 games hurts Sony and their long-term ability to compete in the market. The hardware is sold at a loss to entice customers to go out and buy licensed games at $59.99.

Oh well. That is Sony's fault for using the system-as-a-loss-leader model of business, and this is just part of the risk that goes with it.

People are not legally obligated to purchase games after buying a PS3. Yes, most people probably do since (generally speaking) it is a gaming machine first and foremost. But if someone (for whatever reason) decided to buy one for the purpose of sticking it in the corner of their home and letting it gather dust, that would be their business.

If people happen to find other uses for the machine, there really isn't anything Sony can do about it.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

If people happen to find other uses for the machine, there really isn't anything Sony can do about it.

It would in fact be illegal if Sony did not sell them the machines. But it hurts PS3 owners overall, as game developers are very aware of attach rates for each console. It is great Sony made such an advanced piece of hardware that masquerades as a videogame console, but my general interest is in seeing the platform get the best and most games made for it.

[rpneuss]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

It would in fact be illegal if Sony did not sell them the machines. But it hurts PS3 owners overall, as game developers are very aware of attach rates for each console. It is great Sony made such an advanced piece of hardware that masquerades as a videogame console, but my general interest is in seeing the platform get the best and most games made for it.

You dont think researchers can account for "typical" user attach rates? Oh and its nice to see that your priorities straight!

[xtop]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

It would in fact be illegal if Sony did not sell them the machines. But it hurts PS3 owners overall, as game developers are very aware of attach rates for each console. It is great Sony made such an advanced piece of hardware that masquerades as a videogame console, but my general interest is in seeing the platform get the best and most games made for it.

get serious dude. 2200 ps3's isn't going to do anything to sony

[Seeking_Alpha]

Hmmm I was under the impression that Nvidia video cards with CUDA or ATI video cards are far far and away better when doing highly complex computations like this.

But I am sure the people who made this decision calculated costs and decided PS3s were the way to go.

Yey Sony! I hope they keep them in a freezer. My 60 Gb is enough to heat up my room when folding.

[BluHavik]

Yep, I knew it. They are building skynet.

[Titan]

The power of the PS3 continues to impress. Article talks about the Air Force buying 2,200 of them to create a super computer as well as universities using them to study black holes, air craft monitoring, financial risk assesment, ...

Air Force to Buy 2,200 PS3's

Shows the PS3 really does do everything