[kcexn]

They should have known better. It was their job to sell the box. Instead they wasted a tonne of their clients money on a proof-of-concept for something that was never going to work. Using the word 'impossible' was probably also a big error. If it can perform computations, nothing is impossible, but some things are certainly not recommended.

[pvtmert]

Probably they mentioned something like: "Not possible with current hardware speed" just to be translated as "impossible" since the recollection is second-hand.

[tommica]

Doubt it, the team lead seemed technical enough that they would have picked that detail up.