U.S. to retake supercomputer throne from China

November 15, 2010 By Jeffrey Van Camp

China has broken the record for computing speed, creating a supercomputer that calculates at 2.57 petaflops. Now the U.S. is working on two 20 petaflop supercomputers.

Is a digital cold war brewing? If so, it’s going to produce a lot of heat. China’s record-breaking 2.57 petaflop supercomputer, Tianhe-1A, officially broke the world record for computing speed Friday, and already the United States is working on something much larger. Two 20 petaflop supercomputers are in development in the States, reports Computerworld.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is building one of the supercomputers. The lab’s Cray XT5 Jaguar supercomputer held the previous world record of 1.75 petaflops. The new computer will be eight times as fast as China’s Tianhe-1A when it debuts in 2012. IBM is building its own 20 petaflop system at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It should also be ready by 2012. Japan is also working on a 10 petaflop system.

Exoscale supercomputers, the next big thing

All current supercomputers may be left in the dust soon, however. New “exascale” supercomputers are already in the early planning stages and may make their debut in the next seven or eight years. Exascale computers would provide a 1000 fold increase in power compared to the petascale supercomputers being developed today. With computers that powerful, scientists speculate that they could do things like “simulate a whole living cell at atomic detail.”

Does this mean in 20 years we’ll be able to simulate an entire human body at atomic detail? That will be an interesting day.

Showing 14 comments

Taylor at 5:53am 6th January 2011 To quote, Eugene W Hamptons Devil's Advocate You people just don't give it up do you? Western Egos. Always assuming, blaming and finger-pointing at all others who do not appear the same as yourselves. Check your history. That you think all other humans/nations owe you some brains and achievements. The fact that you speak with the head of a moron, makes you more a moron. As if the world deserves your opinion. Well, let me tell you about this you moron, I don't think all other people of the west think and speak the way you do. I believe they deserve the credit of building a better place for human on earth, moreso for the weaker lot. And mind you two, there are people out there that needs help from those who are willing. But certainly it won't be from the two of you. And one last thing, have it ever come across to you that a supercomputer for China might mean helping more people who are in desperate need of food, education and shelter? Guess not. And I don't rule out China leading and setting a good example to other good nations in the near future. Bet it won't be to shrink and make you feel smaller.
1. Joe at 1:50pm 17th January 2011 Your points are well taken on the surface level. Yet you give China more credit than it deserves. Not that the US deserves any better, or worse. China has built the fastest supercomputer in the world, and yes they have more people with more degrees, because they have "more" people. Lets see If I have a billion man armie, and I have billion more in school reasoning tends to say I am going to have a lot of people with degrees! Yet one question eludes everyone - how can hungry poeple bite bytes? How can you a child eat an electronic chip, with what kind dip would you use? Computers never have grown one single morsel of food. It can tell you have to build a better computer, but only organic material feeds living breathing people. Plus what is the result of doing so? China never will care for its people because they dont care about them. If you cant pull a trigger, do a job, build a computer you dont fit in to their economy the rest are refuse. - We are becoming just like them - something to think about.
Troll at 7:22pm 14th December 2010 Both of you are wrong. The trolls will rule over this planet. You'll see.
Brains at 11:04pm 15th November 2010 China graduates 500000 university engineers per year, this brain power is apt to change things faster than fast whether liked or not. The fact is that the US does not have 500000 university .engineers in stock at the present moment The Brain war is already lost by the West. Its only a matter of time before it Dawns .
1. Devil's Advocate at 10:00pm 29th November 2010 Devil's Advocate Well Mr. Brains, when has quantity have become more important than the quality of scientists. they can produce all they want but your still looking at years before just 1 percent of that 500,000 to become comparable to American design. The other thing too you forgot to mention is most of china's smartest have educations provided from other countries than their own. In fact yesterday, i read from my local newspaper that my former high-school will be teaching quantum physics, fairly certain china is not that far. China has the largest ground force in the world, and likely now have more nukes than us or Russia(big maybe on this part since Russia is still finding their nukes all over the place), yet they don't attack anyone. Can you tell me of one major advance they have had over "the west" within the last decade to current? The other thing too, just as this article says, Americans will have 8 times more than the current Chinese supercomputer in performance within 2 years and normally, they do far better than their suggested rate so you could see closer to 10-12 times more. The de facto of my point is no one has won, but it's an always evolving rivalry of who has the biggest, best, and most. Sorta like your neighbor buying a brand new car and you outdo them by buying the latest porche, then they buy a new Lamborghini. Catch my drift?
Radu at 2:48pm 15th November 2010 Something interesting to notice is that the photo is from Germany and not from US or China and it's the number 9 on the top 500. Someone should take it's time and choose the right photo ;) :)
edcool at 11:46am 15th November 2010 It is not just a number game but a capability game. The fact is that US, China and Japan are the leading countries. This is good in the sense of scientific research not a political game.
junny44 at 8:01am 15th November 2010 -- . Will a twenty petaflop thingy finally stop Windows from freezing? .--
1. mytmyk at 8:04am 15th November 2010 No, but it will freeze up really really fast.
Eugene W Hamptons at 7:25am 15th November 2010 Fact is, the US has several computers operating now at over 14 pentaflop in the Military. This number game is a ruse that gives China false hope and lower goals. And with recent advances by American scientists in Quantum computing... we are about to enter an era of computing that makes this record look like an abacus. Also, the Chinese computer is made with mostly American parts and 100% of the CPU are American. The Chinese are fooling themselves if they think this is anything more than a baby step as the US runs circles around them.
1. naga at 8:10am 15th November 2010 ...then it is not a flop but a peta-flop!
2. Dr Mike at 8:36am 15th November 2010 Aren't all the chip manufacturing plants in the China or Singapore anyway?
  1. Ram at 10:54pm 15th November 2010 Probably. However, lets not forget that it was America that took this what was once an agrarian communist nation and transformed it in the tax free zones that proliferated after Deng came to power. Western capital still powers China.
3. Gox at 11:48am 17th November 2010 YOU HOPE EUGENE HEHE