Communications of the ACM
China Unveils Another Supercomputer
The new Tianhe-1 supercomputer will use the same technology as the Tianhe-1A system, being tested here by a technician. The Tianhe-1A currently holds the second spot on the Top 500 supercomputer list.
Credit: www.chinadaily.com.cn
China recently launched its newest supercomputer, known as the Tianhe-1 system, using the same technology that it used to build the Tianhe-1A system. The new Tianhe-1 system has a theoretical peak speed of 1.1 petaflops, which is considerably slower than the Tianhe-1A's theoretical peak speed of 4.7 petaflops and a sustained performance of 2.5 petaflops.
However, the new system gives China 61 supercomputers in the Top500 list, up from 24 at this time last year. The United States currently has 255 supercomputers on the list. The Tianhe-1A had held the title of world's fastest supercomputer until last month when the Japanese-built K computer took the top spot with a speed of 8.16 petaflops.
The new Tianhe-1 system will be used to perform simulations that will forecast the weather, help with disaster prevention, and aid industrial fields such as automobile manufacturing and medical research. By October 2011, the system will have a theoretical peak speed of three petaflops, which could make it the fifth fastest supercomputer in the world, according to China's National University of Defense Technology professor Lu Yutong.
From Network World
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