Putting wasted PC power to work in climate fight


CSA Z462 Arc Flash Training – Electrical Safety Compliance Course

Our customized live online or in‑person group training can be delivered to your staff at your location.

  • Live Online
  • 6 hours Instructor-led
  • Group Training Available
Regular Price:
$249
Coupon Price:
$199
Reserve Your Seat Today
A new Facebook application launched computing giant Intel lets idling computers work on a range of health and environmental research projects, including the world's largest climate forecasting project.

Progress Thru Processors, available exclusively through Facebook, offers up spare computing cycles to three projects: ClimatePrediction.net, a website research project to track and predict changes to the Earth's climate; Rosetta@home, dedicated to finding medical cures for cancer and other diseases; and Africa@home, which is focused on developing strategies to combat malaria in Africa.

"In the same spirit as Intel's Small Things Challenge, Progress Thru Processors underscores our belief that small contributions made by individuals can collectively have a far-reaching impact on our world," Deborah Conrad, Intel vice president and general manager of its Corporate Marketing Group, said in a statement. "By simply running an application on your computer, which uses very little incremental resources, you can expand computing resources to researchers working to make the world a better place."

This type of distributed computing project focuses on using the computing power that otherwise would be wasted by computers left on at the office or home to help speed the process of performing complex calculations. Examples of other massive distributed computing projects include Folding@Home, currently the world's largest such project, which simulates complex protein folding and molecular dynamics; and SETI@Home, a project to help search vast quantities of space to search for extra-terrestrial intelligence.

Intel's Progress Thru Processors project runs in the background when a computer is not being fully utilized, and the company designed the program to not affect performance or any other tasks.

Sign up for Progress Thru Processors at Facebook.com/ProgressThruProcessors.

Related News

Blizzard and Extreme Cold Hit Calgary and Alberta

Calgary Winter Storm and Extreme Cold delivers heavy snowfall, ECCC warnings, blowing snow, icy roads,…
View more

Ontario's five largest electricity providers join together to warn of holiday scams

Ontario Electricity Bill Scams: beware phishing, spoofed calls, fake invoices, and disconnection threats demanding prepaid…
View more

Working From Home Will Drive Up Electricity Bills for Consumers

Remote Work Energy Costs are rising as home offices and telecommuting boost electricity bills; utilities,…
View more

Bruce nuclear reactor taken offline as $2.1B project 'officially' begins

Bruce Power Unit 6 refurbishment replaces major reactor components, shifting supply to hydroelectric and natural…
View more

Told "no" 37 times, this Indigenous-owned company brought electricity to James Bay anyway

Five Nations Energy Transmission Line connects remote First Nations to the Ontario power grid, delivering…
View more

Changes Coming For Ontario Electricity Consumers

Ontario Electricity Billing Changes include OEB-backed shifts to time-of-use or tiered pricing, landlord blanket elections,…
View more

Sign Up for Electricity Forum’s Newsletter

Stay informed with our FREE Newsletter — get the latest news, breakthrough technologies, and expert insights, delivered straight to your inbox.

Electricity Today T&D Magazine Subscribe for FREE

Stay informed with the latest T&D policies and technologies.
  • Timely insights from industry experts
  • Practical solutions T&D engineers
  • Free access to every issue

Download the 2026 Electrical Training Catalog

Explore 50+ live, expert-led electrical training courses –

  • Interactive
  • Flexible
  • CEU-cerified