The United States has embarked on an ambitious technological undertaking – the construction of the supercomputer known as Aurora, set to be the fastest of its kind.
About Aurora and Its Development
Aurora is set to redefine computational capabilities when it is delivered to its destination, the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, in 2021. Dazzlingly powerful, this supercomputer aims to be the first to achieve the coveted “exascale” performance milestone, which signifies the ability to execute one quintillion (a billion billion) calculations every single second.
This level of performance signifies a quantum leap forward, representing a speed approximately seven times that of the current strongest system and about a thousand times faster than the inaugural “petascale” systems that were built in 2008.
The Impact of Aurora’s Enhanced Speed
The profound speed of Aurora will enable researchers to generate exponentially more precise simulations pertaining to a spectrum of phenomena. For example, it will allow scientists to predict climate changes with greater accuracy, understand the inner workings of high-tech solar panels, study the complex molecular responses to drugs, and examine the intricate details of combustion engines.
World’s Current Fastest Supercomputer: Summit(OLCF-4)
For context, the reigning champion of supercomputers is currently Summit(OLCF-4), a system developed by the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA. Summit can boast a substantial clocked speed of 143.5 petaflops.
Supercomputers in India
India too has made strides in the realm of supercomputing. The country debuted its first supercomputer, PARAM 8000 in 1991. As of now, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology possesses the fastest supercomputer in India, Pratyush. With a speed of 4.0 Petaflops, Pratyush outperforms Mihir, owned by the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, which operates at a speed of 2.8 petaflops.
Understanding Computing Speed Units
To fully appreciate the impressive capabilities of supercomputers like Aurora or Summit, it’s essential to understand the units that measure their speed.
| Unit | Definition |
|---|---|
| Teraflops | This unit equals one million million (10^12) floating-point operations per second (FLOPS). |
| Petaflops | This next level is equivalent to one thousand million million (10^15) FLOPS. |
| Exaflops | The largest unit, this equals one billion billion (10^18) FLOPS. |
Conclusion: The Dawn of the Exascale Era
Aurora is not just a supercomputer; it represents the dawn of an exascale era. Its unprecedented speed will allow scientists to create increasingly accurate simulations and make breakthroughs in a variety of fields, from medicine to climatology. In every regard, Aurora is set to become a beacon illuminating the path forward for scientific discovery.