Volunteer computing

<p>Volunteer computing is a type of <a href="/facts/Distributed_computing/o5nyhqTF">distributed computing</a> in which people donate their computers' unused resources to a research-oriented project, and sometimes in exchange for credit points. The fundamental idea behind it is that a modern desktop computer is sufficiently powerful to perform billions of operations a second, but for most users only between 10–15% of its capacity is used. Common tasks such as <a href="/facts/Word_processor/qAR7lagF">word processing</a> or <a href="/facts/Web_navigation/VRatDzlP">web browsing</a> leave the computer mostly idle.
</p><p>The practice of volunteer computing, which dates back to the mid-1990s, can potentially make substantial <a href="/facts/Computer_performance/td1qKox4">processing power</a> available to researchers at minimal cost. Typically, a program running on a volunteer's computer periodically contacts a research application to request jobs and report results. A <a href="/facts/Middleware/HobNosz9">middleware</a> system usually serves as an intermediary.
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Volunteer computing open-in-new

Volunteer computing