dod upgrade – Fearless Gamer https://www.fearlessgamer.com Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:22:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.8 PS3s are the backbone of DoD supercomputers https://www.fearlessgamer.com/2009/11/30/ps3s-are-the-backbone-of-dod-supercomputers/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:22:47 +0000 https://www.fearlessgamer.com/?p=839 PS3 is running the DoD.Who feels safe? Well, when you look at the numbers behind the decision, you might. The DoD has decided the PS3 is good enough to purchase 2,200 to add to the 336-unit PS3 cluster in use by the USAF.

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. Though a single 3.2 GHz cell processor can deliver over 200 GFLOPS, whereas the Sony PS3 configuration delivers approximately 150 GFLOPS, the approximately tenfold cost difference per GFLOP makes the Sony PS3 the only viable technology for HPC applications.

Gotta admit, it makes good sense, and as a taxpayer in this fine country I’m relieved to hear that some thought goes into the ways we spend a couple hundred grand. Thank god for that recent price cut.

Source: Ars Technica

]]>