100 PFlop Supercomputer almost ready

According to the document, which stretches over 649 pages, IBM describes a BlueGene/Q system that is based on 524,288 processing nodes with 16-core PowerPC A2 processors that are able to handle 64 threads each. The system would include almost 8.4 million processing cores that are organized in 512 racks. The targeted performance is a peak of 107 PFlop/s.

The BlueGene/Q Sequoia supercomputer IBM is currently building for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will use about 1.6 million A2 processing cores in 96 racks. The patent claims that each processing node will consume about 30 watts of power, which puts the 107 PFlop/s system at only 15.7 MW. That is rather impressive for a system with more than 8 million CPU cores.

The patent suggests that IBM has big plans with BlueGene/Q and especially its 5D torus network that connects the computing nodes among each other. There was no information when such a 100+ PFlop/s system could become reality. Sequoia is scheduled to go online in 2012 with a peak performance of about 20 PFlop/s.

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http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...3N2sBQ&usg=AFQjCNHlnLQGspHsEL_Zh2mz-xAc5fDxgg

 

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I could do with that.

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come on guys, let's see some optical infinite base computers.

base 2 is taking up too much room.

 

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Sequoia will be used primarily for nuclear weapons simulation, replacing the current Blue Gene/L and ASC Purple supercomputers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Sequoia will also be available for scientific purposes like astronomy, energy, studying of the human genome, and climate change.
Wiki

Why would they need a computer of that size for nuclear weapons simulation?
You drop the bomb.
It goes bang.

What more do they need to know?

Added later:
Here's something. I'll read it myself tomorrow
http://healutah.org/news/supercomputersoffertoolsnucleartesting—andsolvingnuclearmysteries/11/04/11

 

There are many things to understand about atomic explosions that with advancements in sizes, shapes, altitudes and differing scenarios like hitting a asteroid nearby to deflect it that we don't know or understand yet. With the advent of this kind of computing it eliminates the need to actually make explosions to happen which could create fallout and harm the environment. Also you can't really study an explosion that goes bang that is detonated underground a mile or so very easily now can you?

As you also brought up there are all those other things that need investigation as well and this technology will make it easier and faster to get answers that we need to know. I'd like to see them make simulations of ideas that p[eople have who can't afford to actually build their projects but could use a system like this to see what the outcome might be.

 

There is an interesting answer to my question on that link.
They are running nuclear simulations, because on past simulations with less powerful computers, it has been shown that some of the US's modern weaponry would have failed catastrophically if actually deployed.

Then came a surprise. The computer simulations showed that at a certain point from stockpile to target, the weapon would “fail catastrophically,” according to Bruce T. Goodwin, principal associate director at Livermore for weapons programs. Such a failure would mean that the weapon would not produce the explosive yield expected by the military — either none at all, or something quite different than required to properly hit the target.


With regard to other uses, yes the computer may produce wonderful things.
It would be the equivalent at 100 Petaflops of ten of the most powerful computer to date, the K Computer, which is at a science institute in Japan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K_computer

A thought occurs to me.
Some of the K computer's usage in Japan might also be nuclear simulation.
If Japan ever feels the need to produce its own nuclear weapons, they could design it without breaching international agreements.
Then all they would need was weapons grade Uranium.

Added later. The Japanese were trying to develop Nuclear Weapons in WWII at the RIKEN institute,
the same Institute where their supercomputer is now operating.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_atomic_program

The above link also contains this statement:

While there are currently no known plans in Japan to produce nuclear weapons, it has been argued Japan has the technology, raw materials, and the capital to produce nuclear weapons within one year if necessary, and some analysts consider it a de facto nuclear state for this reason.[23] For this reason Japan is often said to be a "screwdriver's turn"[24][25] away from possessing nuclear weapons.
Significant amounts of reactor-grade plutonium are created as a by-product of the nuclear energy industry, and Japan was reported in December 1995 to have 4.7 tons of plutonium, enough for around 700 nuclear warheads.

 

Imagine just how fast this could download porn....

 

notified

 

Computer science is exciting!

How much processing power would be required to make A.I. as fast and opinionated as the human brain? That A.I./creature would sure take a lot of electricity to be alive...

 

Blue Brain Project
Wikipedia
TED 2009

Maybe an exaflop computer would do it:

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