The results might lead to scientific discovery, computing advances, or the discovery of alien life.
Contestants can even win cash.
But distributed computing contests are really about being Number 1. Wired News delivered to your inbox or hand-held device. O G Y Sponsored by Ericsson phones and accessories . In July, a Russian team claiming to be powered by the Elbrus E2k chip burst onto the Distributed.net rankings with an outrageous claim. The Russians boasted a key-checking rate that was more than 200 times faster than a single Pentium III 550.