Comments on: IBM to build Opteron-Cell hybrid supercomputer

AMD chips in Los Alamos lab's Roadrunner system to be augmented with the PlayStation's processing brains.

[zeitgeistwriter]

Just testing

Ignore this, please, just making sure the system works...

[The Wiethoff]

Department of Energy insanity

WHY is the DOE building this supercomputer? So they can build a simulation model to predict the flow of radiation and other toxic waist from uranium and other storage sites in the US. They are doing this INSTEAD of doing real ground tests. Thanks again, I feel so safe now. Somebody at IBM did a good job convincing the DOE that this was the way to go. Unfortunately there is no way to know if the model is any good if you don't test. Genius IBM, genius.

[totosplatz]

Language usage

This statement <" so 10 megawatts per year equates to $10 million in operating expenses, Gustafson said.> is meaningless.

The notion of 'megawatts per year' is equivalent to the notion of 'volts per microsecond' though different in scale. Volts per microsecond is a good way to spec the output of an op-amp - it is a RAMP-RATE.

What was intended, and without doubt was almost certainly said, was "10 megawatt-years" translates to 10 million dollars.

Please be among those who get this kind of technical language usage RIGHT - this is a TECH news site. Please get it right!

Thanks.