Choman Saleem
Who Uses Supercomputers?
Many
events made headline news over this recently ended summer. The United States
became home to the world’s fastest supercomputer. What exactly is a
supercomputer and how significant is this achievement? To people who don’t
exactly understand computers and the specifications of computers, this world
record just sounds like a cool headline in a sci-fi movie. However, to anyone
passionate about computers, this isn’t a light deal.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory hosts Sequoia, the record-breaking supercomputer. The behemoth runs on 1.6 million processor cores. To put the numbers into perspective, compare this supercomputer with your Macbook Pro or custom-built gaming desktop at home. The standard Macbook Pro comes with a quad-core Intel i7 Ivy Bridge Processor. A custom desktop built today can have up to 12 cores. The power of these supercomputers puts our desktops at home to complete shame.
Who can possibly need this much power? Mainly researchers, government agencies, military, and meteorologists. Supercomputers are not used to watch YouTube videos or play World of Warcraft. They work on imploding tiny capsules of hydrogen to mimic what happens inside the sun. Meteorologists predict Earth’s climate at any given location.
If you’re not a multimillion dollar company or agency, you can definitely forget about owning a supercomputer. Energy costs alone can cost you $6 million. Supercomputers require a massive amount of power to run one. Design and assembly can cost $100 to $250 million. Supercomputers definitely have a name that is appropriate.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory hosts Sequoia, the record-breaking supercomputer. The behemoth runs on 1.6 million processor cores. To put the numbers into perspective, compare this supercomputer with your Macbook Pro or custom-built gaming desktop at home. The standard Macbook Pro comes with a quad-core Intel i7 Ivy Bridge Processor. A custom desktop built today can have up to 12 cores. The power of these supercomputers puts our desktops at home to complete shame.
Who can possibly need this much power? Mainly researchers, government agencies, military, and meteorologists. Supercomputers are not used to watch YouTube videos or play World of Warcraft. They work on imploding tiny capsules of hydrogen to mimic what happens inside the sun. Meteorologists predict Earth’s climate at any given location.
If you’re not a multimillion dollar company or agency, you can definitely forget about owning a supercomputer. Energy costs alone can cost you $6 million. Supercomputers require a massive amount of power to run one. Design and assembly can cost $100 to $250 million. Supercomputers definitely have a name that is appropriate.
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