It’s everyone’s favorite subject: exascale computing! Really, though,
it’s important, and China and the US are battling to achieve it first.
Exa-what? We’re talking about a machine that’s capable of a billion billion calculations per second, or one exaflop. Every person on earth would have to do a calculation every second of every day for over four years to match that. Researchers could use the power to run massively complex simulations that can help advance fields like climate science, genomics, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence.
The racers: China had a plan to produce an exascale machine by the end of 2020, but as our own Martin Giles reports, that date is likely slipping. America, meanwhile, has committed to delivering its first exascale computer, Aurora, in 2021.
Size matters, sort of: Exascale computing is a long-sought (and long-fought-over) goal. But raw computing power isn’t the true test of success here; it’s how well it’s harnessed to solve some of the world’s toughest problems that really matters.
Exa-what? We’re talking about a machine that’s capable of a billion billion calculations per second, or one exaflop. Every person on earth would have to do a calculation every second of every day for over four years to match that. Researchers could use the power to run massively complex simulations that can help advance fields like climate science, genomics, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence.
The racers: China had a plan to produce an exascale machine by the end of 2020, but as our own Martin Giles reports, that date is likely slipping. America, meanwhile, has committed to delivering its first exascale computer, Aurora, in 2021.
Size matters, sort of: Exascale computing is a long-sought (and long-fought-over) goal. But raw computing power isn’t the true test of success here; it’s how well it’s harnessed to solve some of the world’s toughest problems that really matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment