We have heard previously about supercomputers built using Sony’s PlayStation 3, and now one built by the Air Force, called Condor, has now gone online and is fully operational. It was developed by Rome Labs for the Air Force.
Condor is built from a total of 1,716 PS3s, and has cost the Air Force a lot less to build than if they had built a custom supercomputer from scratch. Despite its unconventional construction, this PS3 supercomputer is as fast as some of the world’s most expensive ones and is now in the top 40 fastest supercomputers in the world.
Capabilities and Applications
The Condor PS3 supercomputer will be used for real-time surveillance over large areas. It will be online 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and can monitor an area of 15 square miles. Operators of the Condor will be able to control and rotate its cameras, providing a versatile and dynamic surveillance capability. This makes it an invaluable asset for various military and defense applications, including monitoring borders, tracking movements, and even assisting in disaster response scenarios.
The use of PS3s in building Condor is not just a cost-saving measure but also a testament to the versatility and power of consumer-grade technology when applied innovatively. Each PS3’s Cell processor is highly efficient at handling parallel processing tasks, which is a critical requirement for supercomputing.
Development and Cost Efficiency
The Condor supercomputer started out with a total of 8 PS3s and was expanded over time at a total cost of $2.5 million, which is remarkably affordable for a supercomputer. According to the developers at Rome Labs, building a supercomputer from scratch would have cost ten times as much. This cost efficiency is particularly significant in an era where budget constraints are a constant challenge for government and military projects.
The development of Condor also highlights the potential for repurposing existing technology to meet new and demanding requirements. By leveraging the processing power of PS3s, the Air Force has managed to create a powerful tool without the need for prohibitively expensive custom hardware. This approach could serve as a model for future projects, encouraging innovation and resourcefulness.
Moreover, the success of Condor could inspire similar initiatives in other fields. For instance, academic institutions and research organizations could explore using consumer electronics to build cost-effective computing clusters for scientific research, data analysis, and more.
The Condor PS3 supercomputer is a groundbreaking project that demonstrates the potential of consumer technology in high-performance computing applications. Its development underscores the importance of innovation and cost-efficiency in achieving technological advancements. As Condor continues to operate, it will undoubtedly provide valuable insights and capabilities that will benefit the Air Force and potentially other sectors as well.
Source Crunch Gear
Image Credits: John Berry / The Post-Standard
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