Grid Computing Saves Cancer Researchers Decades

Stony Stevenson writes "Canadian researchers have promised to squeeze "decades" of cancer research into just two years by harnessing the power of a global PC grid. The scientists are the first from Canada to use IBM's World Community Grid network of PCs and laptops with the power equivalent to one of the globe's top five fastest supercomputers. The team will use the grid to analyze the results of experiments on proteins using data collected by scientists at the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute in Buffalo, New York. The researchers estimate that this analysis would take conventional computer systems 162 years to complete."

Comments

I used to run Folding@...

[kcbanner]

...as a competition with friends. But then I realized that I didn't really need to use my computers as heaters...and did a number for the planet and closed the client.

How good are the programs

[gringer]

I hope they're using programs that've had a few computer scientists' eyes over them. One of the issues I see with supercomputing is that people tend to see it as a way to get around dumb code(1) — if the computer's fast enough, you can implement *five* infinite loops, have an exponential time algorithm, and still get the calculations done before dinner!

(1) although from their point of view, it's just slow code.

162 years?

[sayfawa]

Okay, not that I'm knocking how cool this grid computing is, but that estimate of 162 without grid computing couldn't possibly be taking into account the acceleration of computing power. Maybe with today's computers it would take 162 years, but after the first couple of years just get a new computer and cut the time in half.

Which reminds me of how towards the end of my grad school career I did hours long simulations that would have taken weeks at the beginning of grad school. I was in grad school a long time :(