You may have heard of the PlayStation 3 (PS3), the popular gaming console from Sony. But did you know that the US Air Force used 1,760 PS3s to build a supercomputer that helped NASA find water on the moon?
The supercomputer, called the Condor Cluster, is the fastest interactive computer in the US Defense Department, capable of performing 500 trillion floating point operations per second (TFLOPS). It is used for tasks such as radar enhancement, pattern recognition, satellite imagery processing, and artificial intelligence research.
The PS3s were chosen for their powerful IBM Cell CPU and their cutting-edge graphics capabilities, as well as their low cost and energy efficiency. The project started four years ago and was formally presented on December 1, 2010.
“The Condor Cluster will provide the Air Force with a unique tool to conduct a wide range of timely, complex and dynamic research projects that will enhance Air Force capabilities to effectively and efficiently defend our nation today and in the future,” said Dr. Richard Linderman, AFRL Director of Information Directorate.
One of the most notable achievements of the Condor Cluster was helping NASA find water on the moon by processing data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS).
“The PS3 supercomputer was able to process the data in about a week. It would have taken a conventional supercomputer months to do that,” said Dr. Essam Heggy, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Scientist.
The discovery of water on the moon has significant implications for future lunar exploration and colonization, as well as for understanding the origin and evolution of our solar system.
The PS3 supercomputer is truly a remarkable feat of engineering and innovation. It shows how gaming can be more than just fun and games, but also a source of inspiration and discovery.
Relevant articles:
– US Air Force connects 1,760 PlayStation 3’s to build supercomputer, Phys.org, December 2, 2010
– Did You Know The US Air Force Built A Supercomputer Out Of PS3s?, gamingbible, 24 July 2021