The world’s largest computer company, IBM Corp. (IBM), in cooperation with the University of Toronto, according to Reuters – is building Canada’s most powerful supercomputer.
The gigantic machine, which will involve the largest implementation of IBM’s iDataPlex system ; including construction and operating expenses, will cost $47 million over a five-year period.
The supercomputer will be one of the most powerful computers in the U.S. and one of the 20 fastest supercomputers in the world. The mammoth machine will also need its own building for storage with construction plans underway just north of Toronto.
The machine’s system capabilities, as the number and complexity of applications increase, are expected to reach 360 trillion calculations per second ; while its storing data will be equivalent to that held by one million regular DVDs. More than 4,000 servers will be linked together.
Chris Pratt, strategic initiatives executive at IBM Canada said : “Its power is roughly equivalent to 30,000 to 40,000 home computers linked together – and the kind of interconnect between parts of the system will allow the equivalent of two full-length feature DVD movies to be moved around in the space of a second”.
This newest supercomputer through its variety of applications – will provide the adapt computing environment, computational solutions and the necessary resources for academic use, while effectively allowing a flexible user environment for scientists and engineers at the University of Toronto – helping them tackle different projects such as aerospace, astrophysics and climate change prediction.
The supercomputer is expected to be fully operational by summer 2009.
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