how would you distribute the $100k prize?

[T.Rex]

Originally Posted by jinydu

You think it will be 10 years before a 100 million digit prime is found?

It is a very quick evaluation. Based on the Benchmark page of GIMPS, checking a 100M number takes 100 times the time of checking a 10M number. So it may take MORE than 10 years.
Which model could we use for building an estimate, based on performance improvement of hardware and software, multi-core and many more GIMPS contributors ?
Tony

[drew]

Originally Posted by T.Rex

It is a very quick evaluation. Based on the Benchmark page of GIMPS, checking a 100M number takes 100 times the time of checking a 10M number. So it may take MORE than 10 years.
Which model could we use for building an estimate, based on performance improvement of hardware and software, multi-core and many more GIMPS contributors ?
Tony

Ten years seems like a reasonable estimate if you look at trends. Between the time it took to find 1000, 10,000, 100,000 and 1,000,000 digit primes, it's not too off-base toassume 10 years per power of ten. The thing is, thee are only 4 such milestones to look at thus far, and they completely span the computer age (and then some). Also, it appears as if Moore's law is beginning to slow down and our demand for performance improvements in general seems to be reaching a plateau. I don't know if it's reasonable to expect the same growth in computer technology we've seen in the last 30 years to continue.

Drew

[japelprime]

Originally Posted by drew

Also, it appears as if Moore's law is beginning to slow down and our demand for performance improvements in general seems to be reaching a plateau. I don't know if it's reasonable to expect the same growth in computer technology we've seen in the last 30 years to continue.

Drew

The today CPU technology has reach its limit soon but you will see more of a 2x cpu 4x cpu...... and then grid computing wich will leed to you guys to make prime programs to work on multiprocessors or even grid computing.
I think the main reason for people not distributing to wery big prime in the future is the need for wery power hungry PC´s. Just imagin that you have 1 computer that need 150 watt off power to each CPU you have when today CPU technologi reach its limit.

[Primeinator]

Pulling off the web....

A 10,000,000 digit prime is expected to be discovered in May of 2006
A 100,000,000 digit prime is expected in early 2015
A 1,000,000,000 digit prime is expected in 2024.

http://primes.utm.edu/notes/by_year.html#bevaprime

But I agree, the limits of traditional CPU's is quickly reaching its limits. I think that more research and funding should be put into the next generation computational machines such as the quantum computer.

[clowns789]

I first heard of this project through Guinness World Records with the $100,000 prize.