IBM awarded money to build the world's fastest computer
The National Science Foundation will award $208 million to fund construction of the machine over 4 1/2 years, the foundation said Wednesday in a statement. The computer, called Blue Waters, is the fastest to be announced, said Thomas Dunning, director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois.
Blue Waters will be the first computer capable of performing a thousand trillion calculations per second, or a petaflop, on a sustained basis. It will become operational in 2011, the statement said.
"The real significance is the technologies that will be developed and included in this machine," Dunning said in an interview. "The technologies will find applications that will go far beyond the types of work we're doing here."
Supercomputers break down complex tasks, such as mapping seismic activity or designing materials, into small calculations that are processed simultaneously. The university will operate Blue Waters with the Great Lakes Consortium for Petascale Computation.
IBM, the world's biggest computer-services company, has built almost half of the 500 fastest supercomputers. The Armonk, N.Y.-based company said in June it had assembled the Blue Gene/P, which can operate at petaflop speeds.
Recent comments
That's pretty fast.
computer expert | Aug. 11, 2007 at 11:16 a.m.
- Luxury home market stalls 12:02 p.m.
- Kirk Douglas classic on DVD 11:38 a.m.
- Zion fire moving southeast 11:36 a.m.
- More school-money than expected 11:24 a.m.
- Virginia 'Freedman's' project done 11:12 a.m.
- Teen relive Mormon trek 11:12 a.m.
- Oldest American to scale Mount Everest 11:07 a.m.
- Knicks sign first-round pick 10:59 a.m.
- Armstrong third, Leipheimer fourthe 10:58 a.m.
- 6.0 quake in China 10:43 a.m.
- Jazz brass debate Millsap match
- LDS seminary principal arrested
- 2 men cited on LDS plaza
- Jazz finances not quite so bleak
- HBO defends U. logo use in 'Love'
- Reactions on Boozer speculation
- Cash for Clunkers to get rolling soon
- Utahns among Texans' investors
- Man spots his stolen car
- Jazz rookies quiet Thunder youngsters
- LDS seminary principal arrested
252 - Jazz brass debate Millsap match
162 - Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
141 - Jazz talking Boozer trade?
140 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
124 - 2 men cited on LDS plaza
119 - Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
98 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
76 - Letters: Single-payer system best
75
By now you've probably read about the investigation that showed just how...
The photographs are mysterious, brooding, dark. They show dimples and...
where do you meet?
anyone who wants this girl to share "any" of the blame are wrongheaded and...
Yep--just when you thought it couldn't get any more ridiculous, a couple of...
Thanks Bill for helping to stop this genocide and getting other nations...
So easy for those with no standards to cry and whine about those with them....
I seem to recall a black woman who once was asked politely to give up her...
What the Jazz need to do is trade all the players and fold. These guys are...
Its time to let Paul go and be over paid for a back up roll. Thats all he...
What if something like this happened to YOUR child?
It seems to be that people are forgetting who coached one of the best power...


