Is the Air Force's Playstation 3 supercomputer program on its last life?

A subtle change Sony made recently to its Playstation 3 video game console could eventually mean game over for a $663,000 government program.

Since last year, the Air Force has been harvesting computing power from the consumer game systems as a replacement for pricier rigs, as pointed out by the technology blog ArsTechnica.

No, Air Force pilots aren't using these systems to sit on cots and play video games during off hours.

Because Sony subsidizes the cost of the systems -- hoping to make up for the lost cash in royalties from game sales -- the gadgets actually provide more power for less money than most alternatives.

Presumably, the Air Force isn't buying thousands of copies of Grand Theft Auto.

The program started with the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y., picking up 336 Playstation 3 systems and daisy-chaining them together to create a supercomputer. Considering the trial a success, the government contracted a small organization called Fixstars to provide an additional 1,700 top-of-the-line Sony game consoles.

Sony's original Playstation 3 systems have allowed users to modify the software by installing versions of the Linux computer operating system. The Air Force took advantage of this for its program. But the Japanese game manufacturer pulled that ability recently, citing "security concerns."

The update won't immediately affect the Air Force. The firmware version is only required in order to compete against other players online.

"The gaming and graphics market continues to push the state-of-the-art and lowers the cost of High Performance Computing," the Air Force Research Laboratory told the ArsTechnica blog.

But new Playstation 3 consoles will begin shipping with the updated software. So if the Air Force plans to add another batch of systems to its stockpile, it could have trouble finding ones that allow the modifications.

-- Mark Milian
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Photo: Associated Press

Comments

[Chad Brower]

That is fascinating. I did not know that the Air Force did that with PS3's. I am sure the air force won't let some firmware update get int he way of training, or whatever they use the super computer for.

Chad

[SDX]

Obviously, USAF is not a simple client. So I think that they have the power to ask for additional PS3 systems with older firmware, and I don't think Sony would deny.

[The Bell]

Just because the USAF routinely gets bilked from hell to breakfast by just about every Defense contractor known to man doesn't mean they lost out this time, the way your article makes it sound.

The Japanese manufacturer didn't pull Linux ability from any already so-loaded machines unless the owner opted to migrate to the new PS3 operating system, a voluntary consideration illustrated with abundant precursor documentation. If only Boeing and Lockheed Martin were half as diligent, this country's ongoing budget deficit would be near-zero.

[Mark]

A simple firmware update seems like a small problem. In any case, this could be great PR for Playstation

[Simcoe]

I remember the articles when they first started to build this cluster. At that time, the original ps3's were no longer being built anyways. To add any more units they'll have to source a used, probably refurbished, supply of fat ps3's.