Video Game Technology finding Oil? Now find Gold!

The company IBM is supporting the UH Mission-Oriented Seismic Research Program (M-OSRP) and its petroleum industry sponsors with a Cell Broadband Engine(Cell/B.E.) to find oil. The engine was originally created for the Play Station 3 and it is able to process different types of data at once.

The chip is used for the Play Station 3 for better imaging for the HDTV users. The main processor in the chip is the the Power Processing Element (PPE), and is capable of running an opearting system by itself. With this, the chip can't find oil on it's own. It is built into a "supercomputer" that is able to analyze many types of data at once. According to Merriam Webster's dictionary (because I had no clue what it meant) an algorithm is a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end especially by a computer. This is important because in the M-OSRP there is an algorithm that is able to supress a form of coherent noise, and to locate hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas.

Now, the data that that these chips have in them are able to find different material that is difficult to find in the earth, including some forms of oil and gas. University of Houston Professor Arthur Weglein is the director of M-OSRP. "Our research purpose is to provide new, high-impact seismic capability, methods and algorithms – the ‘what to compute.’ However, many of our algorithms are extremely computer intensive and their new level of effectiveness requires a matching new computing vision and capability," said Weglien.

This is really the beginning of what could be a futuristic machine. The producers of this machine are really using this as a stepping stone to see how the chip and the supercomputer handle the environment and the elements it can find. “Our partnership with IBM contributes to an effective and comprehensive response to the pressing challenges faced by the petroleum industry in locating and producing hydrocarbons. Located in Houston, the center of the petroleum universe, UH is the ideal place for this partnership to flourish. The success of this initiative has important implications for both our nation’s and the world’s energy and security interests," said Weglein. Well, if a chip created for a video game system has this much ability, who knows what the future holds for advancements.