Today in my article I’d like to speak about the supercomputers, existing in the world today. How do they look like? What for are they developed? I think that it will be quite interesting to know what issues may be resolved with the help of these computers, and what prospects will they have in the future. Moreover, I have selected top 5 supercomputers, working nowadays in our time and completing a certain set of tasks. So, let’s start.
WHAT IS A SUPERCOMPUTER?
Before start speaking about the top supercomputers in the world, I think it’s essential to have the basic understanding of what exactly supercomputer is and how does it look like. The main difference of the supercomputer from PC is the ability of the first one to perform a large set of calculation at a rattling speed definition. Furthermore, the supercomputers don’t actually look like the PC, alternatively, they look like huge server machines connected with each other. These machines require a huge quantity of energy to produce various kind of calculations, and at that they are very expensive in use.
But why this technology has so significant value in the world today? If to discuss it in a quite common sense, we could say for sure that the supercomputer can increase the workforce productivity hundreds of time over. But in what way do the supercomputers influence the workforce productivity? The answer is comparatively simple. Almost all of the processes, existing in the world may be simulated with the help of the numerical computation, executed by the supercomputers. Thus, applying the numerical computation we actually have an opportunity to study any process in a much more detailed way, and moreover to predict the consequences of every process on Earth. Therefore, nowadays the supercomputers are successfully applied in life sciences, physical sciences, Earth sciences, computational linguistics. Moreover, the supercomputers are able to resolve the majority of math’s issues and are highly demanded in cryptology and statistics. If to provide the simpler example, I can assure you that without the supercomputer we actually couldn’t produce the contemporary automobile, as we are unable to study all the processes, occurring in the modern autos without the use of this technology.
TOP 6 SUPERCOMPUTERS THAT POSSIBLY WILL CHANGE OUR WORLD IN THE FUTURE
6. Mira. The first supercomputer, which takes the sixth place in my personal TOP 6 is an American supercomputer, being more popular and well-known under the name “Mira”. This supercomputer contains more than 780 thousand cores and its power reaches the limit up to 8,6 petaflops. This supercomputer is actually applied for the calculation of the climatic changes, modeling of the batteries, manufactured for the electric cars, and also for the estimation of the evolution of our universe.
5. Kei Computer. “Kei” is a little more powerful than the previous one and it is located in Japan. Just 5 years ago it was one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world and its power is 10.5 petaflops. This was actually the first computer, which power went beyond the limit of 10 petaflops. Now this computer is successfully applied for computing of the processes occurring in the biggest in the world neural network. Also, I may say with some confidence that in the future it may become the ground for the next stage of machine intelligence system development.
4. Sequoia. This supercomputer is developed in Department of Energy of the USA. It contains more than 1 million cores and its maximum power limit reaches today 20 petaflops. This system is successfully applied to control the nuclear armory of the USA and moreover, it’s actively used for the calculation of the thermonuclear reactions occurring, including the calculations required for various inventions in the nuclear sphere.
3. Titan. “Titan” is not so powerful, as the previous one. Its power reaches the limit just 17.6 petaflops, and it contains a little more than 500 thousand cores. But in my personal rate list, I gave the second place to this supercomputer, as it is the most energy-saving in the world. This supercomputer is applied for the simulation of the long-term climatic changes, and at that, it calculates the behavior of the neutrons in the nuclear reactor.
2. Tianhe 2. This computer has been the most powerful supercomputer in the world for 2 years (since 2014). Just imagine: the current power of this supercomputer is 33,86 petaflops. This supercomputer was developed in China, and furthermore, the scientists say, that they are able to improve the working power limit of this computer even up to 55 petaflops. However, the developers of this technology have made a secret out of its purposes of use. And today we can just guess in what way it might be applied.
1. Sunway TaihuLight. And here is an absolute leader in the computer world. Just recently developed supercomputer “SunwayTaihuLight” has the working power in 93 petaflops, and it has been an absolute champion since the beginning of 2016. According to this statistic, it’s 2 times more efficient than the previous model, and this computer is applied to perform the hardest calculations in the world, namely it analyzes the climatic changes for a long-term perspective, and at that its work is highly demanded in medicine and for analyzing the big data as well.
LOMONOSOV SUPERCOMPUTER
In conclusion, I’d like to mention one more supercomputer, which I actually didn’t include into my top 6 list, but still, it is worth paying attention to as well. I'm talking about it with pride as it was developed in Russia for my university (Lomonosov Moscow State University). So, meet Russian supercomputer “Lomonosov”, that is included into the world’s top 500 rate list of the most powerful supercomputers, which ever exist today. Moreover, this computer occupies 1000 square meters of space and it is a true achievement of Russian Federation in the field of computer development. “Lomonosov” first launch was just 5 years ago, but now it is actually applied to develop the new medicine of AIDS, to analyze the long-term climatic changes and furthermore it is successfully used to simulate the work of human brains and it is highly demanded for the development of the new industrial materials. The working power of “Lomonosov” is 1.3 petaflops and it contains 500 thousand cores, working at the same time. Moreover, “Lomonosov” helps the scientists to estimate the ecological changes, occurred as a result of the industrial pollution, and to understand the impact of such ecological changes on the people, living nearby the industrial zones. The data obtained, will help the scientists to start looking for the new methods of residential homes construction in the industrial regions.
I think that our future life in its global sense can’t exist without the application of the supercomputers, as they are the only technology available today to control and to study any process, occurring on Earth. Applying the supercomputers nowadays we actually are able to predict the major percent of the phenomena that would happen in the future on Earth, and to find a solution of how to change or to prevent it if it brings something negative. Moreover, the use of supercomputers gives us an opportunity to develop any branch of science, what in its turn will change the standard of our lives sometimes.
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With Love,
Kate