Major Computer Companies Compete for Speed - The Super Competition
(Page 3 of 4 )
IBM's Roadrunner made the top slot on the list of the world’s top 500 supercomputers this year, but it won't hold onto it next year if the competition has anything to say about it. IBM isn’t the only company vying for super speed. All the best computer minds in the world are at work trying to leave the petaflop barrier completely in the dust.
Intel and Cray Systems have partnered on a project named Cascade which could take supercomputers to the next level. Using mutli-core chips and new interconnection methods, the planned Cascade machines will work on complex engineering calculations and scientific analysis, true to their supercomputer nature.
Both sides of the partnership, Intel and Cray, hope to have something to show for their efforts by 2010, when the first Cascade supercomputers are scheduled to be shipped out. These machines will be a “hybrid” variety that combines multiple types of processors, according to those associated with the project. It's worth noting that IBM's Roadrunner is also a hybrid, so perhaps this approach has something going for it.
Cray has also recently upgraded the existing Cray XT4 system, known as Jaguar, which previously ran at 119 teraflops. The XT4 is currently housed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Thanks to new Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors, the XT4 will now run at 260 teraflops or more. The Direct Connect Architecture of the processors helps boost performance and avoid bottlenecks in the XT4.
NASA is also interested in the supercomputer market. Through a new agreement with Intel and SGI, the supercomputer currently working at Ames Research Center will be updated. If the project, Pleiades, goes as planned it, will allow this supercomputer to break the petaflop barrier (meaning it will be capable of performing more than one quadrillion calculations per second). It is hoped that Pleiades will be completed by 2009.
This competition in the supercomputer markets pits the best against the best as all strive to achieve more speed, faster calculations and the title of greatest in all the land. Perhaps IBM will make it to the top of the supercomputer list again next year with the Roadrunner, but technological breakthroughs will help manufacturers continue to find new barriers to soar past and new fantastic speeds to beat.
Next: What Does It Mean to You? >>
More Opinions Articles
More By KC Morgan
