It's not about that. If you think that research without a 'real' (for you) use is impractical, you're wrong. Many of the technological advances we consider fundamental today started as theoretical ideas without an apparent practical application. We never know when something might be useful or if it will pave the way for something bigger. Perhaps in the context of current puzzles, it might not be enough without thousands of GPUs, but that doesn't detract from its merit, like the study of radio waves, someone studying rainbows and light, and another person who wanted to organize the elements in a table to make it more practical. If we all thought that way, we would still be sending carrier pigeons instead of using mobile phones.