This is Cool!

According to the NCSA they have created a cluster out of PS2 consoles :)

The cluster consists of 65 compute nodes, 4 user login and development nodes, and 1 prototype node for software installation tests. All the nodes run the Sony Linux distribution for PlayStation 2. The compute nodes fill a 24-inch rack; 5 shelves at 13 per shelf.

The Sony Linux kit (for PlayStation 2) includes a full Linux operating system. This distribution uses Linux 2.2.1 ported to the PlayStation's Emotion Engine CPU, and is based on an earlier version of Red Hat Linux for PC's. The distribution includes development tools that you would expect; libraries, editors, compilers and debuggers that you'd find in any Linux distribution. The kit also includes software tools that provide hooks into the PlayStation 2 specific hardware.

Several other pieces of software have been built for the cluster that were not available from the distribution. These include tools to make the nodes work together. Since most any software that will build on a Linux mips system will build on the PlayStation 2 Linux kit, any mips-compatible software with source code available can be run on the cluster. (Even though the core CPU has a mips architecture, it is not directly binary compatible with Linux mips binaries.)

Wow....