PS3's cell chip powers yet another supercomputer

  • Posted June 11th, 2008 at 03:56 EDT by
  • 5,647 views
  • 28 Comments

Back in 2007, IBM constructed the Blue Gene/P, at the time the world’s fastest supercomputer and powered by Sony Corp’s prestigious Broadband Cell Chip. Fast-forward one year, however, and the Blue Gene/P has been surpassed an even faster piece of kit, once again fuelled by the PS3’s cell chip.

This new powerhouse is known as the Roadrunner, and was designed for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. The estimated cost to build such a machine hovers around USD 100 million to build. Although powered by the Cell processor it isn't done purely on the PS3 Chip; it has 6,948 dual-core AMD Opteron chips and 12,960 Cell engines powering it.

The Roadrunner clocks in at speeds surpassing a petaflop. For the unaware, that equates to roughly one quadrillion calculations per second, or one thousand trillion calculations per second.
What does that all mean? Well, let's just say you will need close to 100,000 of today's fastest laptops to equal the Roadrunner's power. Interested in what the Department of Energy will be doing with this supercomputer? Check out the video below.

 

 

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What are your thoughts?

  1. Doogal_UK | Doogal_UK

    • 4:11am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 1

    Very nice

  2. Undying_Darkness

    • 4:12am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 2

    sweet. so whens some more motostorm information suppose to be up on PSU?

  3. tillz | tillz

    • 4:54am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 3

    Conspiracy here, ps3 is being used to create a new nuclear meal gear

  4. Y_Dawg | Y-Dawg

    • 5:13am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 4

    I wish developers would see this use aswell GOD DAMN IT!!! PSN ID..Y-Dawg

  5. nastanley

    • 7:05am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 5

    Develoers really need to harness the power of the cell, especially its graphics calculation capability.I still can understand why the 360 has better graphics than the ps3 in multi platform games...Well Sony first party games like Killzone n te mighty GoW3 will certainly get even the weakest developer team to start taking the ps3 seriously.I know things will get better on the ps3.

    Also I am really pleased to see Sony's product being used to power super computers.

  6. UT3Freak

    • 7:29am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 6

    I think AMD makes one heck of a chip, partnered with the Cell Processor   WOW!

  7. netherdragon | netherdragon

    • 8:52am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 7

    i want that powering my next console ;)

    and just think in a couple of decades it could be :o

  8. Midas78

    • 9:10am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 8

    Entry-level Skynet? Don't give this A.I. 

  9. gingo | gingo

    • 9:23am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 9

    psn id: gingo.... WOW the power of this is insane, this can be used for so much stuff and i can see something being created using this technology such as a cure for cancer or sumthing along those lines

  10. fraznez | FRAZNEZ

    • 10:14am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 10

    @gingo: have you not heard of folding@home? you can download it onto your ps3 and run it. it basically runs an as.s load of calculations of the possibilites of how proteins "fold". this can lead to better understanding of diseases since proteins are like little workshops, in less biologistical terms; and understanding diseases can lead to a cure and furhter prevention

  11. acidhead89

    • 10:23am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 11

    BUT DOES IT MAKE COFEE!!!!! 

  12. murbeck | burdens

    • 10:53am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 12

    I thought it was an IBM chip based on PowerPC chip with Sony as Partner / Customer ?

  13. Lattz | latbou

    • 11:03am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 13

    PlayStation 4?... Ha ha ha, that would be something, huh?

  14. adeebo | adeebo22

    • 11:38am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 14

    oh come on people, we all know the cell is strong but here they use tens of them,

    i mean the cell is strong but dont expect it to make ps3 game superior, i mean pc graphics and physics is better than the ps3, and now u r calling the ps3 a super computer

    i like the ps3 but i dont like when those companies exaggerate about their products.

  15. chilledbreeze7

    • 11:39am BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 15

    Just Imagine the kind of games that could run on a machine that powerful!!!

  16. RoyalSkater

    • 12:02pm BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 16

    Yall just think cuzz its a Super PC its all good... But guess what they dont have much games.

  17. IONIXX | IONIXX

    • 12:08pm BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 17

    KOOOOOOOOOLZ, we have nuclear war enchancers! (ps3)

  18. Denali2 | NEJI64

    • 1:56pm BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 18

    nuclear weapons project everybody be on the look out for a robot from the future

  19. rivel

    • 2:52pm BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 19

    it would take about 24 years at the current technology growth rate for this ammount of power to be put into a console/desktop system at around 800 bucks

  20. InfernoReaper | GrimDarkling

    • 3:22pm BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 20

    AMD Opterons.  Suck it Intel.

    I'm curious how much RAM is in that supercomputer.  I'm thinking close to a terabyte.

  21. Uncool | Admodistrator

    • 3:27pm BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 21

    Very amazing, the cell really wasn't just meant to be used in the PS3.

  22. xlr8ter | xlr8ter

    • 6:25pm BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 22

    Does it also make your breakfast and serve it to you in bed?

  23. CHRISBOSH | tatti

    • 7:48pm BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 23

    so sik!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  24. gamewaffle

    • 9:31pm BST - June 11th, 2008
    • 24

    Combine this with the Internet Cloud and you will either be able to simulate a complete planet(the matrix) or with a single virus take over the world(Terminator)

     

  25. yoboyrob9041226 | BIGROB904

    • 2:19am BST - June 12th, 2008
    • 25

    what would crisis look like on that sper computer. it wouldnt even lag for a second or have any problems at that if only i could build a super computer.

  26. The Mask | JSack20

    • 7:15pm BST - June 12th, 2008
    • 26

    everyone that is saying how awsome it be to play games on that machine i hope you are joking because most (pc) games don't even support dual cores, so the millions of processors wouldn't make any games any better unless they were built for that machine. also i bet it's got something ridiculous like 10 GB RAM

  27. Walo

    • 5:56pm BST - June 13th, 2008
    • 27

    Correct me if I'm wrong but, Isn't the Cell processor supposed to be for PowerPC architectures and AMD Opterons for PC architectures? I'm confused now. Otherwise it's a combination made in heaven.

  28. PS3sR2DEAR

    • 7:42am BST - June 14th, 2008
    • 28

    Sounds like Deep Thought, silly mice have too much $

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