might actually be useful (Score 2, Interesting)

Nowadays the need for computing are everywhere. For instance where I'm studying almost every research group has its own Linux cluster. The use of these hardware comes in burst--often it sits idle, but when it is needed, it turns out to be under-powered. Besides, the maintenance of this machine costs too much man-power and money. After a couple of years/projects, these machines go out-of-date anyhow. Of course any given lab could always negotiate the use of supercomputers at large research centers, but IMHO having the infrastructure in place will be very useful.