Wall Street Turns to Video Game Tech
Wall Street Turns to Video Game Tech
June 19, 2008
The street of dreams is paying attention to video game tech these days, and not just in terms of potential investments.
Wall Street & Technology reports that the same graphics processors (GPUs) employed in modern game consoles are powering specialized financial displays.
Frank Tan, a Deutsche Bank options trader, told WS&T:
With the advancement of computer gaming and graphics technology like PlayStation and Xbox, these graphics cards are a lot more capable [than ever]. The idea is to use the GPUs for financial calculations rather than playing games and generating graphics...
First, there is the sheer number of messages and data coming in... Every time the underlying price changes, or if there is a shift in the options quotes, the options prices... have to be recomputed. The GPU has the capability to solve the second computational issue. Before GPU technology came out, in order to solve this problem in real time, you would have to buy supercomputers.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 01/06/09 at 04:12pm
DeepThorn: Dero, I swear she told me she was 18.
DeepThorn: Dero, I swear she told me she was 18.
Posted 01/06/09 at 03:07pm
HarmlessBunny: @PHX Corp: No surprise. Jack's favorite desperation move: Image-laden filings that make zero sense! Guarunteed to piss someone off, and provide hilarity to us
HarmlessBunny: @PHX Corp: No surprise. Jack's favorite desperation move: Image-laden filings that make zero sense! Guarunteed to piss someone off, and provide hilarity to us
Posted 01/06/09 at 01:54pm
Derovius: What did you call my little sister?
Derovius: What did you call my little sister?
Posted 01/06/09 at 01:38pm
DeepThorn: 'Security' additions, which means it protects the music, which you bought, and have the right to use. It doesnt stop illegal activity, and even copying the music onto 2 back up CDs isnt illegal. Giving one to your little sister is border line.
DeepThorn: 'Security' additions, which means it protects the music, which you bought, and have the right to use. It doesnt stop illegal activity, and even copying the music onto 2 back up CDs isnt illegal. Giving one to your little sister is border line.
Posted 01/06/09 at 01:36pm
CK20XX: What's it gonna take for JT to get arrested? It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.
CK20XX: What's it gonna take for JT to get arrested? It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.
Posted 01/06/09 at 12:12pm
PHX Corp: Look on JAABLOG at his recent court filings he's starting to post pictures again http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DB5ODRNE
PHX Corp: Look on JAABLOG at his recent court filings he's starting to post pictures again http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DB5ODRNE
Posted 01/06/09 at 11:51am
CMiner: It's the same as the controversy over Sony's rootkits in their music CDs, as far as a separation of the issues of cd content and the security additions.
CMiner: It's the same as the controversy over Sony's rootkits in their music CDs, as far as a separation of the issues of cd content and the security additions.
Posted 01/06/09 at 11:27am
Vake Xeacons: But there does need to be a limit on DRM. I mean, CD check's okay, but spyware? That's an invasion of privacy!
Vake Xeacons: But there does need to be a limit on DRM. I mean, CD check's okay, but spyware? That's an invasion of privacy!
Posted 01/06/09 at 11:00am
Krono: @insanejedi: DRM isn't an aspect of the game. Unless you can make an argument that Securom is an intregal part of Spore that the game would be an incomplete experience without.
Krono: @insanejedi: DRM isn't an aspect of the game. Unless you can make an argument that Securom is an intregal part of Spore that the game would be an incomplete experience without.
Posted 01/06/09 at 10:57am
insanejedi: It's asking the government to regulate aspects of a game. Their just going to use this as a backdoor to regulate other aspects.
insanejedi: It's asking the government to regulate aspects of a game. Their just going to use this as a backdoor to regulate other aspects.
Posted 01/06/09 at 10:53am
Krono: @insanejedi: DRM = trade practice, Violence in games = speech. I'm not seeing the similarity here.
Krono: @insanejedi: DRM = trade practice, Violence in games = speech. I'm not seeing the similarity here.
Posted 01/06/09 at 10:40am
insanejedi: Guys, Regulation of DRM is fudementally the same as regulating violence in games...
insanejedi: Guys, Regulation of DRM is fudementally the same as regulating violence in games...
Posted 01/06/09 at 10:13am
sortableturnip: He's in full swing now, asking for all expenses paid by the Florida Bar.
sortableturnip: He's in full swing now, asking for all expenses paid by the Florida Bar.
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:51am
sortableturnip: @ Simonbob: isn't it better to read the comments, LOL wise?
sortableturnip: @ Simonbob: isn't it better to read the comments, LOL wise?
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:41am
SimonBob: You could've mentioned it's close to the bottom, although it's good to know he's actually got an okay golf swing.
SimonBob: You could've mentioned it's close to the bottom, although it's good to know he's actually got an okay golf swing.
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:41am
PHX Corp: @Sourtable T JT's brain acts like a cookoo clock, It never stops Cookooing
PHX Corp: @Sourtable T JT's brain acts like a cookoo clock, It never stops Cookooing
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:23am
sortableturnip: In his latest filing, JT claims he is still admitted to practice as an attorney in the Southern District of Florida: http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2007/09/04/pardon-our-appearance.aspx?pg=3&view=threaded
sortableturnip: In his latest filing, JT claims he is still admitted to practice as an attorney in the Southern District of Florida: http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2007/09/04/pardon-our-appearance.aspx?pg=3&view=threaded
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:13am
SimonBob: Or the falsified usernames of gaming company CEOs. :P
SimonBob: Or the falsified usernames of gaming company CEOs. :P
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:07am
Alevan: Yeah, he doesn't use the shoutbox... then again, he doesn't like to confront his problems head on. He hides behind the "law"
Alevan: Yeah, he doesn't use the shoutbox... then again, he doesn't like to confront his problems head on. He hides behind the "law"
Posted 01/06/09 at 09:05am
SimonBob: It's funny, Alevan, I've never seen him respond to anything in the shoutbox. I think he's got tunnel vision.
SimonBob: It's funny, Alevan, I've never seen him respond to anything in the shoutbox. I think he's got tunnel vision.
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
I find this rather amusing. Most people forget that Graphics Cards are just CPUs with specialized purposes.
I wouldn't be surprised if they start using the PS3's Cell-Processors too. It is, by all accounts, a marvel of computer engineering.
...so why can't they just use a regular CPU, instead?
They could, but CPUs are designed to handle many tasks. A GPU is designed to do one thing and do it well, so it's going to be better at it than a CPU of equivalent cost and/or power.
Basically, the cards are designed to do a particular kind of mathematics very very quickly indeed, and those mathematics are heavily involved in Financial equations as well, for example, working out where 2 projection lines cross in a financial model is not a million miles from finding out where 2 vectors intersect in a 3D Graphics environment.
the architecture is a lot different from a cpu. they process things differently.
GPUs do a lot of floating point calculations, which most financial data is composed of. So they are ideal for crunching this type of data.
Yup, this isn't the first time the GPU has been used for non-graphical work, but it's still pretty clever ;)
I think with the Cell processor's capabilities we'll be seeing things like this a lot more often. Sure, the Cell is a CPU and not a GPU, but when you see them using the Cell to power the current world's fastest supercomputer, you'll see a lot more people realizing that its not just for games. I wouldn't be surprised if the business world started taking stock of Cell processors and started using them more heavily for servers.
IBM already sells mainframes that use them.
Yea, but as far as I know they aren't widespread yet. What I was meaning is that in a few years it wouldn't surprise me if Cell processors became a dominant force in the server world. It only makes sense that IBM would use, and most likely convert to solely using, them over time since they were a major player in their developement.
I just have a feeling we'll start seeing other companies using them as well. For instance, Cisco might start using them in routers or we'll be able to build our own Cell-based servers like we can with Opterons and the like. Of course, homebrew servers using Cell processors is a bit of a stretch for the time being at least, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if I saw a major IT company like Cisco pick up on them for use in large scale routers, such as core routers, over the next couple years.
Suuuure they need video cards capable of running crysis to do math on. And I needed my amiga to "help me do homework"
Ironically I really DID do homework on it but I got it for gaming.
I'm a bit surprised at this track though, I'd have thought multicore CPUs with specialised software designed to use one core for general use & then others for floating point stuff.
I think it's a question of Price to be honest, when the solution is already available, why spend more money than you need to?