March 15, 2007
PS3 Used in Medical Research
Sony Computer Entertainment Joins Stanford University Folding@home Program to
Further Medical Research
Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM))
computer entertainment systems will have the capability to connect to Stanford
University’s Folding@home program, a distributed computing project aimed at
understanding protein folding, misfolding and related diseases. Folding@home
is leveraging PS3’s powerful Cell Broadband Engine(TM) (Cell/B.E.) — and what
will be an even more powerful distributed supercomputing network of PS3
systems — to help study the causes of diseases such as Parkinson’s,
Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis and many cancers.
Because the process of folding proteins is so complex, computers are used
to perform simulations to study the process. Since these simulations can take
up to 30 years for a single computer to complete, Folding@home enables this
task to be shared among thousands of computers connected via the network,
utilizing distributed computing technology. Once the data is processed, the
information is sent back via the Internet to the central computer.
The Cell/B.E. processor inside each PS3 is roughly 10 times faster than a
standard mainstream chip inside a personal computer (PC), so researchers are
able to perform the simulations much faster, speeding up the research process.
"Millions of users have experienced the power of PS3 entertainment. Now
they can utilize that exceptional computing power to help fight diseases,"
said Masayuki Chatani, Corporate Executive and CTO Computer, Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. "In order to study protein folding, researchers need more
than just one super computer, but the massive processing power of thousands of
networked computers. Previously, PCs have been the only option for
scientists, but now, they have a new, more powerful tool — PS3."
"We’re thrilled to have SCE be part of the Folding@home project," said
Vijay Pande, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University and
Folding@home project lead. "With PS3 now part of our network, we will be able
to address questions previously considered impossible to tackle
computationally, with the goal of finding cures to some of the world’s most
life-threatening diseases."
With the latest system software update expected to become available at the
end of March, the Folding@home icon will be added to the Network menu of the
XMB(TM) (XrossMediaBar). PS3 users can join the program by simply clicking on
the Folding@home icon or can optionally set the application to run
automatically whenever PS3 is idle (*1).
Starting with Folding@home, SCE will continue to support distributed
computing projects in a wide variety of academic fields such as medical and
social sciences and environmental studies throughout the use of PS3 and hopes
to contribute to the advancement of science.
(*1) To run the application automatically in idle state, PS3 must be
connected to the network with both the main power switch and power button
turned on. Option setting must also be changed as this automatic feature is
off at default.
