The First FlashMob Supercomputer

March 30, 2004

For those that feel the need for speed and power, this is rather amazing…

This Saturday, April 3, hundreds of computer enthusiasts will create FlashMob I, the first FlashMob Supercomputer in the world, and attempt to break into the Top 500 Fastest Supercomputers on earth. Sponsored by University of San Francisco, FlashMob I will be created on the University of San Francisco (USF) campus, using USF student and faculty-designed open-source software.

A FlashMob Supercomputer is created by connecting a virtually infinite number of computers via a high-speed LAN, to work together as a single supercomputer. A FlashMob computer, unlike an ordinary cluster, is temporary and organized ad hoc for the purpose of working on a single problem. It uses volunteers and ordinary laptop PC’s, and is designed to allow anyone to create a supercomputer in a matter of hours.

“This is a radical new idea in supercomputing, as well as an important scientific and social experiment,” said John Witchel, a graduate student and co- creator of FlashMob Computing. “The goal of the FlashMob I project is to demonstrate the viability of widespread supercomputing. We hope to give ordinary citizens the power to explore and address problems that are most important to them — whether
it’s a high-school science class looking to participate in study of global warming, or a family impacted by breast cancer, or even a chess club looking to build an electronic grand-master. In short, we want to democratize supercomputing.”[Syllabus News Update]

For more informationon FlashMob computing, check out http://www.flashmobcomputing.org

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