A few weeks ago, Sony launched their Folding@home initiative where latent PS3 power is used to help calculate research for Stanford University. And now they are planning to sell the same scheme to commercial business.
So far, over 82,000 PlayStation 3 users have signed up for the Folding@home initiative, which connects idle PlayStation 3 units via the internet to run complex calculations. A network of 10,000 PS3's is capable of reproducing the power of 200,000 PCs, claims Sony.
"We are discussing various options with companies and exploring commercial applications," said Sony's chief technology officer, Masa Chatani. "A start-up or a pharmaceutical company that lacks a super-computer could utilise this kind of infrastructure".
Although a lot of users have volunteered in the Folding@home to help Stanford Collage with its scientific research, but it is expected that any commercial possibilities would need to offer a reward or incentive for PS3 users to take part.
