What type of calculations the PS3 client is capable of running?
The PS3 right now runs what are called implicit solvation calculations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicit_solvation), including some simple ones (sigmodal dependent dielectric) and some more sophisticated ones (AGBNP, a type of Generalized Born (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicit_solvation#Generalized_Born)method from Prof. Ron Levy’s group at Rutgers). In this respect, the PS3 client is much like our GPU client. However, the PS3 client is more flexible, in that it can also run explicit solvent calculations as well, although not at the same speed increase relative to PC’s. We are working to increase the speed of explicit solvent on the PS3 and would then run these calculations on the PS3 as well. In a nutshell, the PS3 takes the middle ground between GPU’s (extreme speed, but at limited types of WU’s) and CPU’s (less speed, but more flexibility in types of WU’s).
