In the third of a series of pieces about supercomputing, Dazed & Confused technology editor Chris Hatherill talks to CERN engineer François Grey about The Grid, a next-level internet that could turn your PS3 (or PS4?) into the most powerful computer on earth…
©Cern
Over the past 17 years, the World Wide Web has revolutionised the way we communicate, work and play. Now, the organisation that created it is working a new system called The Grid. By sharing computing power instead of just information, it could one day help create a giant, global computer more powerful than anything we could ever build individually. Let’s just hope game programmers can keep up…
So what is The Grid?
‘The Grid is a new take on the old idea of ‘distributed computing’. Some of your readers may know about programs like SETI@Home, which uses your home computer to help scan radio signals from outer space? The idea is that you can get more work done if you distribute it to different processors. The Grid is designed to do this on a global scale. By using high speed networks and so on, you can share data and processing power all around the world.’
So your home system could basically become a supercomputer?
‘Well, the idea is that you just plug into this thing and you get processing power and data storage on demand. The Grid would work out automatically where there is free storage space and processing power, then tap into this. That’s the vision. At the moment, it’s mainly businesses and organisations that are building their own grids, but people are working on ways to make sure they’ll all be able to link up together.’
How far along is the project?
‘Well, here at CERN we’re getting ready to start using something called the Large Hadron Collider, which is basically a giant particle accelerator that will smash beams of energy together and create conditions like in the Big Bang. These collisions will generate about ten petabytes a year – or 10 million gigabytes – which is nearly 1% of all the information that humans produce on the planet each year, including digital images, photos and what have you. So what we’re going to do is distribute the data to eleven major centres around the world.’
And these centres will then share information like the Internet?
‘Well, it will never be as visible as the Internet. One analogy is Google. Every time you click search, it divides the job up and scans through terabytes upon terabytes of information in less than a second – but you don’t notice this. The Grid will be the same, it’ll do all the legwork but after a while people will get used to it.’
So could The Grid become a giant global computer?
‘Well, I’m not one of these futurologists, but the key thing is high speed networks. In 1997 when people first started talking about grids they didn’t make sense, because at 100MB per second it wouldn’t work. Nowadays, with dedicated fibre-optic cables we can manage 10GB per second. At 10GB/sec the world changes quite fundamentally. You can send a 1GB file from London to Los Angeles in less time than it takes to download it to your hard disk. Of course, not everyone has a 10GB/sec connection, but that’s just a matter of time.’
This interview originally appeared in Dazed & Confused magazine. To find out more about The Grid, visit gridcafe.
Next time: The darker side of supercomputers.
CELLnet became active at 7:41am Greenwich mean-time
Comment by JohnSketch — Oct 29, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
“Of course, not everyone has a 10GB/sec connection, but that’s just a matter of time.”
I’ll have one please.
Comment by Wratty — Oct 29, 2007 @ 3:20 pm
CELLnet became self aware at 7.44am GMT
Que PS3’s launching a tactical nuclear strike on the whole world and taking over
Comment by Scorn — Oct 29, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
It was the machines, JohnSketch. Big. powerful. Hooked into everything!
It decided our fate in a microsecond.
We were that close to being wiped out forever…
Comment by Zed Zee — Oct 29, 2007 @ 4:07 pm
I’ll be back………………
Comment by Dan (BBRodriguez) — Oct 29, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
Give me your clothes, Your boots and your Xbox live subcription
Comment by JohnSketch — Oct 29, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
Get to the chopper!
Comment by linton — Oct 29, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
Ahhhh, The Grid, those fine purveyors of early nineties pop electronica.
One of them was in Soft Cell you know…not Marc Almond, the other one.
Comment by mrsatansdojo — Oct 29, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
“Sarah Connor ?”
Comment by Neil — Oct 29, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
@8 …. david Ball
Comment by Neil — Oct 29, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
@10 - Boom! But Floatation was a good one…
Comment by Three Speech — Oct 29, 2007 @ 4:54 pm
@8 - And funny enough the non-Soft Cell one from the Grid is very very good friends with our Steve Boxer. Small world.
Comment by Three Speech — Oct 29, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
@ 10,11,12
Neil & Threespeech - showing our age now aren’t we!
Comment by mrsatansdojo — Oct 29, 2007 @ 5:03 pm
I was always more of an Orb man myself.
Comment by mrsatansdojo — Oct 29, 2007 @ 5:09 pm
Human decisions are removed from strategic defense - The Grid begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug…
The end of civilization will either be in the form of a MadMax film or Terminator film… Personally i’d prefer the Mad Max version
http://www.scifiscience.co.uk/img/extras/top10/villains/Terminator6.jpg
Comment by PJ — Oct 29, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
@14&15 - A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Center Of The Ultraworld
Comment by Three Speech — Oct 29, 2007 @ 5:14 pm
“T-2000 poly-metal alloy (liquid metal)”
Comment by reakt — Oct 29, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
@ 15
Drunken Aussie or a boring Austrian…………… Both sound pretty bad futures to me
Mind you if it was the one with Tina Turner……..
Just the though alone has got me reaching for my car keys and a length of hose pipe
Comment by Dan (BBRodriguez) — Oct 29, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
@16
Threespeech - more importantly, Little Fluffy Clouds + Wipeout = gaming nirvana and a drug-free zen state.
Come on SCEE Liverpool Studios, you know you want to!!
Comment by mrsatansdojo — Oct 29, 2007 @ 6:00 pm
Gets tin foil hat
Comment by Carl Crawford — Oct 29, 2007 @ 6:11 pm
Of course, not everyone has a 10GB/sec connection, but that’s just a matter of time.’
not if Virgin Media has anything to do with it
Comment by mobiletone — Oct 29, 2007 @ 8:12 pm
Wasn’t there a giant particle accelerator in Terminator 3? HANG ON!!!
Comment by Terry — Oct 29, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
“Nice night for a walk, wash day tomorrow…”
Comment by Terry — Oct 29, 2007 @ 10:38 pm
Can they get Blast Factor Advanced Research on that?
Comment by sam — Oct 30, 2007 @ 1:22 am
@19
Little Fluffy Clouds… and Wipeout…
That’s probably the best idea i’ve never had…
Comment by El Stefio — Oct 30, 2007 @ 1:47 am
Its good to know amongst all that high tech gizmo stuff the floor isnt stable enough for people to walk on…
Comment by Terry — Oct 30, 2007 @ 11:38 am
@26 - That guy has started building his own fallout shelter!
Comment by PJ — Oct 30, 2007 @ 12:26 pm
@26
Hosting the largest server farm known to man: £270 million
Retro Blue and orange 80’s disco lamps: £40
Finding Spaghetti beneath the floorboards: Priceless
Comment by JohnSketch — Oct 30, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
he does have a big cheesy grin on his face, i reckon he’s not the only one down that hole.
Comment by PJ — Oct 30, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
PS fans (Janitor): “Hey, Sony. You gotta a dead console in there, or what?”
Sony (Terminator):
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
> Or what.
> Come back tomorrow.
> F**k you, a**hole.
> Yeah, you’re right. And we’re not done screwing it up yet!
> We dictate when nexgen starts, not Microsoft.
> F**k you, PlayStation fans. We don’t owe you jack!
> Did you Euros really believe we won’t stiff you again?
> How about another price drop to really p*** off the early adopters?
> No backwards compatibility here, go away!
> I’m too busy playing the wonderful Lair, go away!
> No, no. It’s all part of a well-thought out plan that we’ve had since the (delayed) launch.
SELECTED ANSWER: ???????
Comment by Zed Zee — Oct 30, 2007 @ 3:47 pm
I’ve got an idea, Threespeech !
Why don’t you use this ps3 blog to give us information on the ps3! REVOLUTIONARY!!!
Comment by russ — Oct 30, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
yes, damn you threespeech for giving us some interesting and informative techie type stories and for letting us reply in this nonsensicle and light hearted way that makes people smile… well, makes most people smile. You should know better.
Russ, I’ve done a bit of research for you, try this site http://uk.playstation.com/ps3/ I think you’ll find it has quite a bit about the ps3… but be careful not to get caught out and end up on the ps2 or psp pages.
Comment by PJ — Oct 30, 2007 @ 7:57 pm
I like to think I make people smile
Comment by JohnSketch — Oct 30, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
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