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Supercomputers
What is a supercomputer?
A supercomputer could be a large computer or collection of computers that act collectively large computers, capable of processing enormous amounts of data. it’s one of the fastest and therefore the most powerful kinds of mainframe computers available at a given time. A mainframe computer could be a large computing device serving 100-400 users and occupying a large room. the first use of supercomputers is in scientific computing, which needs high-powered machines to perform complex calculations. Supercomputers can process massive amounts of information very quickly and even have an infinite amount of storage to facilitate many tasks at a time. They generate large amounts of warmth and must be cooled with complex cooling systems to confirm that no part of the computer fails. hence they’re placed in special air-conditioned rooms. First introduced within the 1960s, modern supercomputers are very expensive.
How many processors does a supercomputer have?
Supercomputers typically have multiple processors and a range of other technological tricks to confirm that they run smoothly. the bottom language of the supercomputer code is mostly Fortran or C, with special libraries to share data between nodes. The supercomputers of the 1970’s used only some processors, but those of the 1990s had thousands of processors. Nowadays, massive, parallel supercomputers with tens of thousands of processors are quite popular. The Blue Gene/P supercomputer at Afonne National Lab, US, runs over 250,000 processors using normal data center air conditioning, grouped in 72 racks/cabinets connected by a high-speed optical network.
How do supercomputers work?
They work in two ways:
- A large number of discrete computers (like laptops) distributed across a network devote some or all of their time to solving a typical problem; each individual computer (client) receives and completes many small tasks, reporting the results to a central server which integrates the task results from all the clients into the solution.
- A large number of processors are placed in close proximity to every other; this protects considerable time moving data around and makes it possible for the processors to figure together (rather than on separate tasks).
What are the uses of supercomputers?
Supercomputers are normally used for highly calculations-intensive tasks like meteorology, climate research, molecular modeling (computing the structures and properties of chemical compounds, biological macromolecules, polymers, and crystals), physical simulations (such as simulation of airplanes in wind tunnels, simulation of the detonation of nuclear weapons, and research into nuclear fusion), and plenty of others. Some supercomputers have also been designed for very specific functions like cracking codes and playing chess. Major universities, military agencies, and research project laboratories rely on and make use of supercomputers very heavily.
How is the speed of a supercomputer measured?
The modern supercomputers generally run on a Linux or Unix OS, as these operating systems are extremely flexible, stable, and efficient. The computing power of a supercomputer is measured in FLOPS (Floating-point Operations Per Second). Floating-point operations include any operations that involve fractional numbers. Such operations take much longer to compute than integer operations. A megaFLOPS (MFLOPS) is adequate to a million floating-point operations per second, and a gigaFLOPS (GFLOPS) is adequate to one billion floating-point operations per second. A teraFLOPS (TFLOPS) is adequate to one trillion floating-point operations per second.
How is supercomputing helping to make advances in the field of neuroscience?
A human brain has always been likened to a supercomputer, given its capability to try and do multiple tasks at a time within a fraction of seconds. Scientists have still not been ready to understand how it actually works. hence a project titled “Blue Brain Project” is underway in Switzerland to make an artificial brain within the laboratory, where currently an element of the rat’s brain is recreated. Plus there’s also another project within the working where it’s going to become possible in future to regulate a computer using only the ability of the mind. If successful, projects like these will make great advances in treating people affected by brain disorders.
How are supercomputers used in the military?
The military uses supercomputers to check new vehicles being engineered, to determine how they’re going to function in combat, and also give soldiers a simulation of how it’ll be within the new vehicle. Supercomputers also are used for military pilots, who enter a simulator to determine a way to react during combat situations.
