Thousands of Sony PlayStation 2s are bound for Iraq to be connected up to form a crude supercomputer, if recent reports are to be believed. But computer experts say that if the plans are true, Saddam has bought the wrong console.
Standard computer hardware cannot be exported to Iraq because of UN sanctions, but games consoles are not included in the ban. Recent reports state that a US Defense Intelligence Agency document claims 4000 of the consoles have been shipped to Iraq.
The PlayStation 2 is designed to process graphics at high speed, so it could be ideal for certain tasks. 鈥淚f you wanted to do something like pattern recognition 鈥� to spot cars, say 鈥� they鈥檇 be great,鈥� says Jon Crowcroft of the Networked Multimedia Research Group at University College, London.
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The consoles could have some serious computing clout if they were linked together, but that may not be easy. Crowcroft says Saddam may have bought the wrong games console: 鈥淭he PlayStation 2s have no high speed network, so there鈥檚 no easy way to connect them up. And the software that runs on PlayStations is not amenable to multiprocessing either.鈥�
Linux link-up
鈥淚f I was going to do this right now, I鈥檇 buy Sega Dreamcasts. They already have a high speed link you could use and they run Linux which allows you to run multiple processors,鈥� says Crowcroft.
But cannibalising games consoles is not the ideal way to make a supercomputer, says Andrew Downton, Head of Electronic Systems Engineering at Essex University. 鈥淚f you were Saddam Hussein and you wanted to do this, it would be far easier just to buy computer components through a third party,鈥� he says. Because the components are so small, they could then be smuggled into the country with relative ease, he adds.
A spokeswoman for the US Defense Intelligence Agency in Virginia admits the issue was studied, though she denies that a report was written. 鈥淭he truth is there is no report. But yes, various agencies looked into it and there was some informal communication between departments. However, there鈥檚 no final position on the matter.鈥�
The spokeswoman could not confirm whether consoles were bound for Iraq, and would not comment on whether it would be considered a problem if they were. 鈥淚f people are just using them to play games, then that鈥檚 fine, they can do that anywhere,鈥� she said.