China’s latest supercomputer is the world’s fastest, nearly twice as fast as what earned a United States computer that title last year, according to a report released Monday.
The TOP500 listing of the world’s fastest supercomputers reported that the Tianhe-2 can compute 33.86 petaflops per second, equivalent to 33,860 trillion calculations per second, the Associated Press reported. The Tianhe-2, which means Milky Way-2, was built in central China, by National University of Defense Technology experts, AP said.
That surpasses America’s fastest, the Titan, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy with a capacity of computing 17.59 petaflops per second.
The recognition of China as number one in the supercomputer speed arena means the country is making good on a key goal to take the global lead in key technological advances.
Supercomputers perform complex calculations that are necessary for weather modeling, nuclear explosion simulations, and jetliner design, AP reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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