Why are records often set for calculating the number of pi?

Question

Mathematics

Why are records often set for calculating the number of pi?
Recently I came across another of them - I climbed, looked. It became not clear why some company would not simply install a supercomputer and turn it off so that it counts the number pi until the memory runs out. Why are they interrupting it? To set new records?

Answer 1

Supercomputers are not free.
Why load a task that will not bring dough? They calculated a little out of sports interest, out of technical interest, for the purposes of advertising and promotion of the supercomputer manufacturer (moreover, not the entire computer, but part of its resources was probably involved) - and that's enough.
The rest of the time - let him deal with paid tasks.