Right in the heels of bagging the title for the fastest supercomputer in the world, Chinese scientists are already building a new machine that will vastly surpass their current record holder.
Researchers from the National Supercomputer Center (NSC) in Tianjin and the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) are currently working on a prototype for a next-generation supercomputer, CRI reported. The new machine is expected to be roughly 200 times faster than the Tianhe-1, China's first petaflop computer unveiled in 2010;
A petaflop is a measure of computer speeds equivalent to making a million billion calculations per second.
The new computer is expected to reach speeds of a quintillion, or a billion billion, calculations per second by 2020. By then, it will be much faster than the current record holder, the Sunway TaihuLight, developed by the National Research Center for Parallel Computer Engineering Technology.
According to NSC assistant director Meng Xiangfei, the project aims to expand the current understanding of how such systems work and improve both hardware and software. Once completed, the new supercomputer will mark a significant advancement over present technologies, he added.
Meanwhile, the Guinness World Records has officially awarded the title of world's fastest supercomputer to the Sunway TaihuLight, the organization's official site reported. Guinness President Rowan Simmons presented the certificate of recognition to NSC Director Yang Guangwen in a ceremony held in Wuxi.
Simons also said that the award highlights China's significant contributions to improving computer technology. The previous record holder also came from the country in the form of the Tianhe-2 developed by the NUDT.