After running the original GPU core for quite some time and analyzing its results, we have learned a lot about running GPGPU software. For example, it has become clear that a GPGPU approach via DirectX (DX) is not sufficiently reliable for what we need to do. Also, we’ve learned a great deal about GPU algorithms and improvements. One of the really exciting aspects about GPU’s is that not only can they accelerate existing algorithms significantly, they get really interesting in that they can open doors to new algorithms that we would never think to do on CPUs at all (due to their very slow speed on CPUs, not but GPU’s).
After much effort, we took all we learned about GPUs from the first-generation client and produced a second-generation client, GPU2. This core was much more technically sophisticated than the original, but it was faster, had higher reliability, ease of use, and much more scientific calculation capabilities. The results from it were very exciting.