What is supercomputer? | Top 5 Supercomputers in 2020
This is a supercomputer. and no, it's not just a PC with a cape and (good intentions) yes, it's an extremely powerful computer... but wait, what's a computer?
A computer is a machine that takes information, stores, and processes it, and generates an output. supercomputers do the same thing but faster, with more data, and in a different way.
okay.. let's start at the beginning. personal computers from the 80s and 90s were serial processors. they performed operations one thing at a time, like
- checking things off a
- 'to-do' list
- in an orderly fashion
PC we have today (and even our smartphones) have made a lot of progress and can now perform multiple operations at a time.
but for problems that are extremely complex, like simulating molecular behavior or modeling the Earth's climate, Serial processing (or even using a modern PC) would take wayyyyy too long. supercomputers solve this problem by being able to perform many operations at once, In parallel. These kinds of computers have more processors and split problems into chunks with each processor working on a different piece and all the processors working together at the same time
want to hear a number that'll blow your mind?
when you ask a supercomputer to work on a problem, it can be like asking a hundred million PC's to work on the problem. Now that is power. you can imagine that the kind of software that helps you
tell your laptop what to do probably won't work when you're talking to a supercomputer. supercomputing systems require scaled-up software that organizes, assigns, stores, and processes data in a particular way that makes parallel computing possible. and some problems are easier to solve with parallel computing than others.
fun Fact:
Problems that are really easy to split into chunks of classic Trello computing network are called embarrassingly (parallel problems).
something else to consider... running an immense number of processors requires an immense amount of power, both to run the computers and pull them down.
Just like your laptop has a fan in it to keep all its moving and electrical parts cool so it can continue to function optimally. Computers on a much larger scale have to be kept cool too, either by the fan or by cold water that flows through pipes throughout the computing building.
 |
| cooling fan |
 |
| liquid cooling pipes |
So supercomputers not only solve some of the world's toughest problems But also present interesting software and hardware challenges for the world's most creative problem solvers. The new Japanese Supercomputer called Fugaku. will be one of the fastest in the world and is currently being used to solve a diverse array of complex problems, like how to speed up the discovery for experimental COVID-19 (coronavirus) research. and will help us ask questions the world needs answers to all of which we'll try to cover in upcoming installments of this supercomputing series.
Also Read:
Worlds Top 5 Supercomputer are listed below
5. Tianhe-2 (China)
4. Sunway TaihuLight (China)
3. Sierra (US)
2. Summit (US)
1. Fugaku (Japan)
Conclusion:
We hope that by reading this article, you will have come to know that what is the supercomputer really? In this post, we have tried to share with you the basic information in a simple way. How right is this attempt? please tell us in the comment.
Warning: Do not take this information forever, because in every single minute technology changes.
