Her is a interesting article. http://www.ornl.gov/info/press_releases/get_p...leaseNumber=mr20101209-00. It states that they have ported over commonly used software(maybe what we are using) to the super computers. Right now we have only about one sixth as much power that our fastest supercomputer. I think since we have to send the same problem to more than one computer we are already under 10% of the fastest computer. The grid has been in existence now for only 6 years. In another 6 years the fastest super computer will be 400 times faster. Unless we grow real fast the grid will be about two and a half per cent as fast as the fastest super computer. So the fastest super computer at that time will accomplish what the grid does for the next 6 years in about 100 days. I have read that the savings from a cure to cancer will be way into the trillions of dollars. If the expectations of success are only one per cent than it would still be worth a billion dollars and at one tenth of one per cent it would be worth a hundred million dollars to run this program. I believe that for the SETI program that the expectations for success are about one millionth of one per cent. Success in that program will only bring proof of what most people already accept. That is that there is another planet with intelligent beings on it. Success of our program will save countless number of lives. So someone should be able to show the government what the grid has already accomplished and using that should be able to persuade the government to build a super computer to continue that work.