How Powerful were the First Supercomputers?
Super computer (Super computer) refers to a computer capable of performing a large amount of data and high-speed calculations that cannot be handled by ordinary personal computers. In terms of the composition of supercomputers and ordinary computers, the constituent components are basically the same, but there are differences in performance and scale. The main characteristics of a supercomputer include two aspects: huge data storage capacity and extremely fast data processing speed, so it can perform tasks that people or ordinary computers cannot do in various fields. [1]
- Chinese name
- supercomputer
- Foreign name
- Super computer
- Speed unit of measure
- Floating-point operation "FLOPS" per second
- International agencies
- International Supercomputer Conference Organizing Committee
- Institution short name
- ISC
- nickname
- Supercomputer
- Super computer (Super computer) refers to a computer capable of performing a large amount of data and high-speed calculations that cannot be handled by ordinary personal computers. In terms of the composition of supercomputers and ordinary computers, the constituent components are basically the same, but there are differences in performance and scale. The main characteristics of a supercomputer include two aspects: huge data storage capacity and extremely fast data processing speed, so it can perform tasks that people or ordinary computers cannot do in various fields. [1]
Supercomputer Overview
- A supercomputer is a computer whose information processing capacity is one to two orders of magnitude faster than a personal computer. It plays a pivotal role in intensive computing and massive data processing. As a high-performance computing technology product, a supercomputer, also called a supercomputer, is a concept corresponding to a high-performance computer or a high-end computer. [2]
- Supercomputer has a strong ability to calculate and process data. Its main characteristics are high speed and large capacity, and it is equipped with a variety of external and peripheral devices and rich, high-function software systems. The supercomputer uses a turbine design, and each blade is a server, which can work together and increase or decrease at any time according to application needs. Taking China's first "Shenwei · Taihu Light" built with domestic processors as an example, its continuous performance is 930 million times per second and its peak performance can reach 1.25 billion times per second. Through advanced architecture and design, the storage and computing are separated, ensuring that user data and information are not affected during software system updates or CPU upgrades, ensuring the security of stored information, and truly maintaining long-term, efficient, and reliable Computing and easy upgrade and maintenance. [3]
- Depending on the processor, supercomputers can be divided into two categories, using dedicated processors or standard compatible processors. The former can efficiently deal with the same type of problem, while the latter can be used for multiple purposes on one machine, and the scope of use is more flexible and extensive. Special-purpose computers are more common in the fields of astrophysics and cryptography. Chess masters, Deep Blue, and Japan's Earth Simulators all belong to such supercomputers. Many supercomputers are non-dedicated systems, serving many fields such as military, medicine, meteorology, finance, energy, environment and manufacturing. [2]
Supercomputer development background
- Supercomputer was the first term reported in the New York World newspaper in 1929. It is a collection of processors to deal with huge
- supercomputer
- Generally speaking, supercomputers have an average operating speed of more than 10 million operations per second and a storage capacity of more than 10 million bits. For example, the US s ILLIAC-IV, Japan s NEC, Europe s Eugene, and China s Galaxy computer are giant computers. The development of supercomputers is an important development direction of electronic computers. Its level of research and development marks the degree of a country's scientific and technological and industrial development, and reflects the strength of a country's economic development. Some developed countries are investing a lot of money, manpower and material resources to develop super-large computers with calculation speeds of several trillion billion times. [4]
- Since the National University of Defense Technology released the "Tianhe No. 1" supercomputer with peak performance of 1.206 trillion times per second in 2009, China has become the second country after the United States to independently develop a trillion-time supercomputer. In particular, the emergence of the Shenwei Taihu Lake in 2016 marked China's entry into the supercomputing world's leading position. Supercomputers can represent a country's comprehensive strength in the field of information and data, and can even be said to affect the country's position in the world's science and technology. Not only this, the practical application of supercomputers is also considerable at the time of the big data era. [4]
Supercomputer composition structure
Supercomputer hardware
- The hardware composition of a supercomputer is basically the same as that of a personal computer. It is mainly composed of an arithmetic unit, a controller, a memory, an input device, and an output device. However, the super computer's superb data analysis and processing capacity, super large storage capacity, and huge energy consumption are unmatched by personal computers. [1]
Supercomputer software
- High-performance computers are very powerful in terms of hardware, but at the same time, in order to maximize their performance, software is also important. More than 60% of the current supercomputers use the Linux operating system. Most supercomputer systems are customized based on Linux to adapt to different applications. [1]
Supercomputer maintenance
- With the development of science and technology, computers have become closer to us. In the context of big data, supercomputers have also invested a lot in the application of big data. However, because supercomputer systems are affected by the characteristics of virtualization, it is easy to The failure problem brings inconvenience to the unit and users. In order to reduce this situation and extend the useful life of supercomputers, regular maintenance of supercomputers is required. [5]
- In the process of supercomputer maintenance, scientific and reasonable methods need to be adopted to improve the performance and working efficiency of the supercomputer, thereby extending the service life of the supercomputer. Supercomputer maintenance work is divided into hardware maintenance and software maintenance. The hardware maintenance refers to the periodic inspection and proper cleaning of the hardware equipment of the supercomputer. It is necessary to pay attention to avoid moving the equipment as far as possible to avoid damage to the equipment. Software maintenance refers to backing up supercomputer software, regularly cleaning useless files, and taking care to avoid viruses infecting supercomputers as much as possible to avoid damaging the supercomputer systems and threatening the information security of companies, research institutions, and individuals. [5]
- Supercomputers are prone to the following failures during maintenance: boot problems, hardware problems, and software problems. For the problem of supercomputer failure, relevant personnel can take maintenance measures to maintain the supercomputer in time. First of all, when a supercomputer fails, it must be reasonably judged to determine what causes the supercomputer to fail to work properly. It is not possible to blindly repair the supercomputer and strengthen the inspection of the machine itself and its surrounding environment. Secondly, after determining the failure of the supercomputer, the possible causes of the failure and how to deal with the failure should be conceived, and the overall idea of the failure maintenance should be clarified so that the subsequent maintenance work can be carried out smoothly and the efficiency of the maintenance work can be improved. [5]
- In addition, the network security of supercomputers needs to be well protected. In the process of protecting a supercomputer network, hackers and Trojan viruses must be avoided. The database needs to be backed up and restored, and more important data should be backed up and updated, so that even if there is an accident, the data can be restored through the backup to avoid unnecessary losses. The more important point is to prevent viruses. By installing a virus firewall, you can scan and monitor the system, and find and remove viruses in time. Because supercomputers are mostly used in scientific research units, it is necessary to install offensive software to improve the contextual function of the supercomputer system. Once an external invasion occurs, the system can promptly warn and effectively intercept it. [5]
Introduction to Supercomputer Applications
- Supercomputers are one of the most powerful computers in the computer, with the fastest computing speed and the largest storage capacity. They are mostly used in national high-tech fields and cutting-edge technology research. A country's high-performance supercomputer is directly related to international people's livelihood and national security. In almost all areas of national economy and people's livelihood, supercomputers play a key role. [3]
- 1. The field of applied science of supercomputers to promote the development of the times
- Supercomputers use their powerful data processing capabilities to help people change the way they understand the natural world and provide great benefits to society. Other
- supercomputer
- 2. Supercomputer application production field, saving human resources
- Utilizing the powerful computing density of supercomputers, for high-risk industries that have a high incidence of accidents and pose a serious threat to life safety, supercomputers are used instead of manual operations, such as underground coal mining, high-altitude operations, blasting work, and petroleum exploration For processing and analysis. The calculation density here refers to the computing power of a supercomputer in a certain volume and area, which is a manifestation of computing accuracy and computing power. For example, in 2007, the Dawning 4000L supercomputer played a key role in the discovery of the 1 billion tons of Bohai Bay Jidongbao Oilfield, and the application of the Dawning 5000A supercomputer has further reached thousands of underground Exploration depth in meters. [3]
- 3.Apply to emerging fields such as medical pharmacy, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, etc.
- Bioinformatics has become a new application area of supercomputing. For example, the massive data generated during the sequencing of the human genome cannot be separated from supercomputers. In the medical field, supercomputers are also used to simulate the working mechanism of various human organs and various biochemical reactions in the human body. The development of a new drug usually requires many steps from development and testing, which usually takes about 15 years, and the use of supercomputers can perform simulation tests on drug development, treatment effects, and adverse reactions, so as to develop new drugs. Reduced cycle time is 3 to 5 years and can significantly reduce research and development costs. In addition, with the development of computer technology, under the support of supercomputers, key issues in major scientific and application fields have been solved, and the rapid development of related fields has been promoted. There are also a large number of applications in emerging areas such as medicine, genetic engineering, and financial analysis. [3]
Prospects for the development of supercomputers
- With the advent of the era of big data, supercomputers will shine in the future development of information technology. First of all, it is linked with cloud computing and cloud storage to provide guarantee for the development of big data technology. In the future, supercomputers will likely develop into the form of shared server cloud computing, taking advantage of its extremely strong computing speed and large-scale data processing. On the other hand, the architecture and component methods of the supercomputer itself may also change greatly, especially in the reduction of volume, lightweight operation, and reduction of cost. In the future, it will not only exist as a national strategy, but will also be involved in the commercial field, which will further stimulate its development. [4]
- As an important embodiment of a country's information technology, a supercomputer will first play an important role in the fields of national defense technology, industrialization, and aerospace satellites, and secondly it will show its advantages in fields such as meteorology, physics, and detection. Relying on powerful data processing capabilities and high-speed computing capabilities, future supercomputers will be important tools in the era of big data. And it will be further popularized into our specific lives and make a huge contribution to our social development. [4]
Supercomputer Supercomputing Ranking
- On the morning of June 17, 2019, the 53rd Global Supercomputing TOP500 List was released at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) held in Frankfurt, Germany. Compared with the list released in November 2018, the top four are unchanged. The two supercomputers Summit and The "ridge" (Sierra) still occupies the top two, and China's supercomputing "Shenwei Taihu Light" and "Tianhe II" are ranked third or fourth. Among them, the peak performance of the world's fastest supercomputing "apex" reached 148.6 PFlops on this list, setting a new supercomputing record [6] .