Japan Bests IBM in Supercomputer Stakes
One future hurdle is the silicon chip that is the brain of these machines. Already engineers are reaching the physical limits of how many circuits they can cram onto a slice of silicon, though chip makers are experimenting with new technologies and materials for the next generation of microprocessors.
After nearly four years in development and $9 million spent, the Riken machine is the first ever to accomplish the feat. It's nearly three times swifter than BlueGene/L, the official No. 1 in an industry ranking called the Top 500 Supercomputer Sites. The MDGrape-3 wasn't ready in time to qualify for the list which was released on June 27. It could top the next one, but the machine may be ineligible because of its specialized hardware.
The $9-million budget of the MDGrape-3 came from Japanese government coffers. Riken developed the computer under a national project launched in 2002.
Supercomputers have a range of uses, from weapons development and scientific research to auto-safety testing and product design. Computer models can do the intense number-crunching needed for problems that can't be cracked with experiments or that are too time-consuming for humans.
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