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IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/04/2009 2:38 PM

20 petaflops. That's the speed rating of IBM's slated Sequoia supercomputer, the future world's fastest supercomputer that promises to be faster than every system on the Top500 supercomputer list, combined. So what's all that actually mean? IBM offered us some more tangible ways to wrap your mind around 20 quadrillion mathematical processes per second.

20 petaflops can run 27,102,301 instances of Crysis at full HD all at 100fps.

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#1

Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/04/2009 3:04 PM

Yeah it's fast, but I bet Bill Gates could sell some dandy software to slow it down a tad
Del

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#2
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/04/2009 3:14 PM

They were looking to use Windows 7 thats why the made it so fast.

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#3
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/04/2009 3:54 PM

IBM runs Linux on their machines. Microsoft Anything wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell of making it through their doors.

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#4
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/04/2009 5:25 PM

The biggest market for supercomputers is the gov't. Because Unix was designed from the ground up for networking and multitasking, the gov't has used it for years. When Linux put a windows-like GUI on Unix, the gov't easily made the switch.
BTW, I got my first close-up look at Linux when I went thru training on the NWS AWIPS system so I could be an NCO at the WX5TUL Skywarn station. (Now, aren't you hungry for alphabet soup?)

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#5
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/04/2009 5:53 PM

hey 3Doug, sounds like UQ is the kind of thing you wouldn't mind adding to that alphabet soup. How high is weather/skywarn on the totem for access to the petaflop computation service?

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#12
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/05/2009 9:49 PM

How high is weather/skywarn on the totem for access to the petaflop computation service?

Not very. They set up a couple of spare terminals at the ham desk so the operators can give radar updates, read warnings and other statements without having to bother the meteorologists. I doubt if the local offices will have much direct access, if the NWS even gets one of the petafloppers. If they do get one, it will probably go to the NCEP.

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#10
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/05/2009 4:06 PM

"Microsoft Anything wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell of making it through their doors".

I think you mean that, after giving a leg up to Intel and its CISC 8086 family, and foisting DOS and its successors onto the rest of us, IBM have washed their hands of all responsibility?

BTW, I understand that most commercial flavours of Linux look almost as fragile as Widows if exposed to random usage - but at least the hooks are available in the core, so you can add any security you need.

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#7
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/05/2009 4:05 AM

It's only a Windows Hasta-la-Vista-ready machine...

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#11
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/05/2009 4:08 PM

And there was I anticipating a remark about flopping cats...

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#6

Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/04/2009 6:02 PM

And to think they'll be wasting it all simulating decaying nuclear warheads. Sheesh.

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#8
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/05/2009 9:22 AM

Ha! That's what their propoganda ministry is telling us. Don't fall for it.

Have you ever been to Los Alamos? Lawdy! They roll up the streets at 5 PM and at 2 AM they unplug the Coke machines and send everyone home!

Nah, they're not simulating decaying nukes. They're building a Pac-Man HoloDeck.

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#9
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Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/05/2009 9:44 AM

Pac-Man HoloDeck.
Oh yesss I wanna play with that.... Shoot them ghosties*

Del
* Or was the ghosties in Mr Doo ?

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#13

Re: IBM Sequoia: Faster Than The Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

02/13/2009 4:56 PM

Actually, creation of tactical nuclear warheads to add to the US arsenal is on the top of the agenda. No conventional explosives can get into really deep bunkers and many enemies of the US can do what they want because they feel safe underground. By designing a Tactical nuclear weapon and just possessing it in the weapons stockpile is a pretty big negotiation device, very immoral though. Either way, I don't doubt they're doing something crazy.

OFF TOPIC -1000

They should be using this to help out with the many many-body problems that plaque us nowadays. Genetic Research now that stem-cell research is legal for one.

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