distributed.net

Distributed.net is a <a href="/facts/Volunteer_computing/YkXGa3N8">volunteer computing</a> effort that is attempting to solve large scale problems using otherwise <a href="/facts/Idle_(CPU)/Dw3CN8p0">idle CPU</a> or <a href="/facts/Graphics_processing_unit/PTK1RQVp">GPU</a> time. It is governed by Distributed Computing Technologies, Incorporated (DCTI), a <a href="/facts/Non-profit_organization/AmXu2c85">non-profit organization</a> under U.S. tax code <a href="/facts/501(c)(3)/4KIsNFYp">501(c)(3)</a>.
Distributed.net is working on <a href="/facts/RC5/RjIGUnNk">RC5</a>-72 (breaking RC5 with a 72-bit key). The RC5-72 project is on pace to exhaust the keyspace in just under 37 years as of January 2025, although the project will end whenever the required key is found. RC5 has eight unsolved challenges from <a href="/facts/RSA_Security/s8kfo2SF">RSA Security</a>, although in May 2007, RSA Security announced that they would no longer be providing prize money for a correct key to any of their secret key challenges. distributed.net has decided to sponsor the original prize offer for finding the key as a result.
In 2001, distributed.net was estimated to have a <a href="/facts/Throughput/6zAUsXqw">throughput</a> of over 30 <a href="/facts/FLOPS/6zYlH68F">TFLOPS</a>. As of August 2019<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Distributed.net&action=edit">[update]</a>, the throughput was estimated to be the same as a <a href="/facts/Cray_XC40/3Lc2NKDH">Cray XC40</a>, as used in the Lonestar 5 supercomputer, or around 1.25 petaFLOPs.

distributed.net open-in-new

distributed.net