New software enabling scientists to perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations and see the results rendered almost instantly on their screens has been released by US researchers.

The Scout programming language, developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in California, US, lets scientists run complex calculations on a computer's graphics processing unit (GPU) instead of its central processing unit (CPU).

In tests, the graphics processor was able to perform certain types of calculation 12 times faster than a single CPU.

Graphics processors generate smooth and realistic three-dimensional imagery by performing rapid calculations on visual data. And the latest graphics chips rival CPUs for raw processing power, thanks to consumer demand for hardware powerful enough to support the latest 3D computer games.

"These chips normally sit idle when scientists work," says Patrick McCormick, a LANL researcher. "They have all this processing power but it's just not being used."

McCormick says researchers could use the Scout programming language to simulate various phenomena, such as ocean currents and the formation of galaxies. He adds that performing these calculations on a graphics processor makes it simple to render simulations visually at the same time.



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