Are the US Creating the World’s Fastest Computer?

Computers are getting faster by the minute and with so many advances in technology, it’s no wonder that we are seeing more homes and businesses with faster machines than ever before.

But is the US developing a new supercomputer which will become the world’s fastest computer?

According to a blog post published on the official White House website, President Obama has signed off on a project which will produce a computer system which will be 20 times quicker than the current fastest machine located in China by 2025.

Super Fast Supercomputer

This super-fast unit will be put together by a specialist group of researchers called the National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) who will research and build the system to perform national security projects as well as scientific research.

The machine will be able to calculate quintillion calculations per second and will hopefully be able to be used to create more accurate  weather forecasts by monitoring weather data at a more detailed level.

It is also hope that the machine will be able to be used in the diagnosis of cancer by scrutinizing X-Ray images to detect the disease earlier.

Will the Project Face Any Challenges?

As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day… and this computer is no different. The amount of computing power and programming that would need to go into a machine like this will take years of research and development by experts.

Even the electricity that the system will use will have to be tested to see how much power would be needed. In a society that is pushing for a greener planet, will this machine be successful? Mark Parsons of the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC) has predicted that a computer of this calibre will require at least 60 megawatts of power to run… and according to his calculations "That's at least £60m a year just on your electricity bill."

How Will This Affect Us?

Even though technology is advancing at an alarming rate, it’s safe to say that we won’t be seeing computers of this specification in our homes or businesses any time in the near future.

The nature of this supercomputer is to provide a platform for projects on a national level to be completed. It has been proposed that NASA could use the system to model turbulence which would allow scientists to create more streamlined aircraft units without the need for expensive testing procedures.

Here at Tristar, we love hearing about new advancements in technology. It’s a fascinating topic in this technology obsessed society that we live in today, and we can’t wait to see what advances the next few years have in store for us!

As a provider of business IT support in London, our experts are on hand to help with any technological queries that you may have. We don’t bombard you with complicated jargon and will try our best to tackle any issues that your business may come across when it comes to your computer systems. If you would like to know more about how we can help, contact our experts today by calling  01707 378453 and we will be more than happy to assist you with you enquiries.