XBox outperforms dedicated parallel processing computer
1 min read
A study by a University of Warwick researcher has found that the processor in the XBox games console could provide a much cheaper way of performing parallel processing.
Dr Simon Scarle, from the University of Warwick's WMG Digital Laboratory, wanted to model how electrical excitations in the heart moved around damaged cardiac cells in order to investigate or even predict cardiac arrhythmia. Normally, such simulations would require time to be booked on a dedicated parallel processing computer or a parallel network of pcs created.
Dr Scarle has found the XBox 360's graphical processing unit can perform much the same scientific modelling as several thousand pounds of parallel network PCs. "This is a highly effective way of carrying out high end parallel computing on 'domestic' hardware for cardiac simulations," he said. "Although major reworking of any previous code framework is required, the Xbox 360 is a very easy platform to develop for and this cost can easily be outweighed by the benefits in gained computational power and speed, as well as the relative ease of visualisation of the system."
