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The first distributed computing project on the internet was GIMPS—the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search, which started in 1996. GIMPS sought to discover new large prime numbers and has successfully found 10 to date, including the largest on record, 230,402,457-1. Large prime numbers are useful for data encryption.
GIMPS was followed by distributed.net, which, starting in 1997, solved cryptographic challenges sponsored by RSA Labs and CS Communication & Systemes. The grand slam of volunteer computing projects, SETI@home, followed in 1999.
Here’s a sampling of some notable public volunteer distributed computing projects currently churning everyday users’ PCs:
- Rosetta@home—attempts to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases by accurately predicting and designing protein structure and complexes.
- Folding@Home—assesses protein structures to find cures to serious diseases.
- FightAIDS@Home Project—tries to identify new candidate drugs that have the right shape and chemical characteristics to block HIV protease.
- Human Proteome Folding—tries to predict the shape of a very large number of human proteins based on the human genome.
- Compute Against Cancer—studies the effects of chemotherapy.
- Africa@home—performs computer modeling of malaria epidemiology.
- CommunityTSC—a project of the Rothberg Institute For Childhood Diseases that evaluates drug candidates for Tuberous Sclerosis.
- D2OL—also a project of the Rothenberg Institute, D2OL (Drug Design and Optimization Lab) “works to discover drug candidates potentially devastating infectious diseases.” It already targets against Anthrax, Smallpox, Ebola, and SARS.
- Predictor@home—tests and evaluates new algorithms and methods of protein structure prediction; uses BOINC.
- Screensaver Lifesaver—the National Foundation for Cancer Research and Oxford University’s United Devices-based, Intel-backed project does “virtual screening” of anticancer drugs by analyzing molecular data with a program called LigandFit.
- climateprediction.net—models world weather trends and predicts future climate by computing many permutations of weather factors from 1920 on.
- evolution@home—tries to uncover genetic causes for extinction of species. It currently is applying Muller’s ratchet in asexual populations, which describes the stochastic accumulation of slightly deleterious mutations in genomes over evolutionary time.
- eOn—calculates the long-time dynamics of atomic scale systems.
- Muon1 Distributed Particle Accelerator Design—simulates and helps design parts of a particle accelerator.
- LHC@home—simulates particles traveling around CERN’s Large Hadron Collider to study the stability of their orbits and help design and calibrate the collider. This will help CERN know how to install the 232 dipole magnets around the accerator tunnel.
- Einstein@Home—searches for spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars) using data from the LIGO and GEO gravitational wave detectors.
- QMC at home—Quantum Monte Carlo is a simulation method whose purpose is to accurately predict molecular structure and reactivity.
- GIMPS—searches for large prime numbers.
- BURP—Big and Ugly Rendering Project, for collaborative 3D graphics animation.
- Boitho.com—distributed web crawling for internet search.
- ChessBrain—a distributed chess-playing supercomputer.
- electric sheep—distributed art project generating cool 3D screensavers.
- SZTAKI Desktop Grid—intends to find all the generalized binary number systems up to dimension 11.
- Ubero—lend your computer to a number of life science and other applications—and potentially get paid for it.
- Gómez—generates web performance stats and pays you money for your CPU usage.
- DIMES—designed to map the structure and topology of the Internet; low power requirements.
Not only have individuals taken it upon themselves to donate CPU cycles, but teams based on employer, hardware type, and interests (AnandTech, AMD users, AlienWare, for example) have sprouted up, with lots of competition and sites that rate each team’s progress, like Free-DC and BOINC Synergy. Individuals and teams measure their progress in points, which are determined by computer power, time spent on work, and work units returned to the server. Continued…