The world's fastest commercial supercomputer (so far) has been launched by IBM (domino.research.ibm.com). Blue Gene/P (catchy name, eh?) is three times more powerful than the current fastest machine, BlueGene/L, also built by IBM. The latest computer is capable of operating at ‘petaflop’ speeds - the equivalent of 1,000 trillion calculations per second. Approximately 100,000 times more powerful than a PC, the first machine has been bought by the US government. It will be installed at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois later this year. The standard one petaflop Blue Gene/P comes with 294,912-processors connected by a high-speed, optical network. However, it can be expanded to pack 884,736 processors, a configuration that would allow the machine to compute 3,000 trillion calculations per second (three petaflops). IBM is also currently building a supercomputer for the DOE's Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico. Codenamed Roadrunner, it will be able to crunch through 1.6 thousand trillion calculations per second. The computer will contain 16,000 standard processors working alongside 16,000 ‘cell’ processors, designed for the PlayStation 3. Pop quiz: What is this a picture of?
Blogs @ durhamregion.com
-
New bloggers on newsdurhamregion.com
- Follow Marven Whidden in "Simply Put".
- Reka Szekely's Word Count
- Rich Helms 'Webmaster In Residence'
- Will McGuirk 'Scene and Heard'
- Neil Crone 'Enter Laughing'
- Tyler Ohlew 'Pressing Buttons'
- Laurence Cutner 'Technically Speaking'
- Stefanie Swinson: Blushing Bride
- Duane Cook "Sustainable Living in Durham"
- Laurence Cutner 'Past, Present & Future'
- Emergency Planning with Pamela Kullo-Egleton
- Valerie Bean "People, Places and Things"
- Word's Worth with Christy Chase
- Dwight Irwin's 'In My Opinion'
- Follow Marven Whidden in "Simply Put".
« Hello Winston Smith | Main | It's a hap, hap, happy day »
June 27, 2007
Comments
Verify your Comment
Previewing your Comment
This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.
About Laurence Cutner
Laurence Cutner moved from England to Canada 20 years ago and has lived in Durham Region for 11 years. He has been so long in the IT industry that he has a Tandy Portable, a Compaq ‘luggable’, a Commodore 64 and 4 PCs at home. Beyond that he is an avid reader of sci-fi and his current obsession, alternative history. He has, in the past, backpacked through Europe and traveled to the Middle East and South America. His real boast is that he has been married for 26 years and has a son who is possibly even more ‘techie’ than him.
Newsdurhamregion Twitter
Comment Guidelines
- We welcome comments but we ask that you observe our guidelines. We like readers who are prepared to stand by their comments by offering their 'real' first and last name - it adds validity to your comments. Stick to the topic and keep it clean. Personal attacks on individuals, bad language and unsubstantiated rumours have no place here. It's OK to be edgy, but if you're going to engage in name-calling and boorish behaviour take it elsewhere in cyberspace. And forget about posting under multiple IDs from the same IP address -- you'll get banned. Full Guidelines.
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Nave on It's obvious
- Les Shaw on It's obvious
- mykodachrome on Really cool, man!
- Mark P on Blink and you'll miss it
- mykodachrome on Blink and you'll miss it
- mykodachrome on A shifting crown?
- Allison M on Feeling flush?
- B Alexander on The people's flag is deepest pink
- B Alexander on Helloooooo!
- B Alexander on 'The shields canna take it captain!'
Legal Notice
- LEGAL NOTICE: Copyright Metroland Durham Region Media Group. All rights reserved. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Metroland Durham Region Media Group or www.durhamregion.com. Distribution, transmission or republication of any material is strictly prohibited without the prior written permission of the Metroland Durham Region Media Group.
For information please contact the BLOGmaster
That picture is an ABABACUSCUS...the neweset in calculators based on the original design. This one allows decimal and fraction calculations
Posted by: Mark P | July 06, 2007 at 07:21 PM
My gosh you don’t have one of those in your basement do you? One of the few "computers" that will not get slowed down by the latest Windows upgrade – a "Difference Engine" invented by good old Charlie Babbage.
Posted by: mykodachrome | June 28, 2007 at 11:22 AM