Computers have changed our world and how we interact with the people around us. From doing complex calculations to ordering food online, a computer can perform any task you can throw at it today. Our whole infrastructure relies on computers and their capabilities. However, there are some tasks that a traditional computer will not be able to perform or perform at a speed that could take years to complete the task. For this reason, scientists, engineers and governments worldwide have invested heavily in Supercomputers. These ‘Super’ computers can perform super complex tasks that were previously only dreamt of. Now, almost every government has supercomputers, which help it gain an edge in various industries like automotive, weather forecasting, medical science, and many others. This begs the question of which is the fastest supercomputer in the world right now. In this blog, we will answer this question and tell you about the fastest supercomputers in the world.
What Is A Supercomputer?
Today, almost everybody knows what a supercomputer is. However, for people who don’t, supercomputers are like traditional computers that are considerably faster than general-purpose computers. In supercomputers, we calculate their computing power in FLOPS(Floating Operations Per Second) rather than MIPS( Million Instructions Per Second) used in in general-purpose computers. Supercomputers are housed in special premises because of their humongous size and the huge amount of data and energy they need to work at their best. Now that we know what a supercomputer is let’s talk about the fastest supercomputers in the world.
Top 10 Fastest Supercomputers In The World
The supercomputers mentioned in this fastest supercomputers list are ranked on the basis of their computational power, denoted by FLOPS.
#10 Eos NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD
Developed by one of the most advanced companies in the world, DGX SuperPOD is made by Nvidia. It is a data centre-scale AI supercomputer that is made to meet the extensive demands of generative AI. For this reason, DGX SuperPod is integrated with the fastest, high-performing storage. It uses 132 nodes Nvidia Hopper H100 GPU to gain the computational capabilities it requires.
Peak Computing Power: 188.65 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 485,888 (CPU+GPU)
#9 Summit
Made by IBM, one of the biggest computer manufacturers, Summit is a supercomputer capable of performing the most complex tasks in the world. It was developed in 2014 and became the fastest supercomputer in the world, holding the title from November 2018 to June 2020. It uses IBM’s Power9 CPUs and Nvidia’s Tesla GPUs to handle tasks.
Peak Computing Power: 200.79 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 2,414,592 (CPU+GPU)
#8 MareNostrum 5 ACC
It was developed by BellSequna in collaboration with the EU and Spain. MareNostrum 5 ACC is one of the world’s fastest supercomputers and uses Nvidia’s Hopper H100 GPUs. The supercomputer is situated in the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre and is mainly used for research on biomechanics and the analysis of big data.
Peak Computing Power: 249 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 663,040 (CPU+GPU)
#7 Leonardo
Leonardo is a Supercomputer made by Atos that was introduced to the world in 2022. It is situated in the CINECA datacentre in Bologna, Italy, and uses Nvidia’s Ampere A100 GPUs for its core operations. The main purpose of this supercomputer is to analyse big data and research in medicine and neurology, making it one of the most important and fastest supercomputers in the world.
Peak Computing Power: 306 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 1,824,768 (CPU+GPU)
#6 Alps
As the name suggests, this is a Swiss supercomputer and probably the newest supercomputer on this fastest supercomputer list. Developed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company or HPE, it is one of the fastest supercomputers in the world. It uses a 132 Nodes Nvidia Grace Hopper GH200. Situated in the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre in Switzerland, this supercomputer is used for material science and drug discovery.
Peak Computing Power: 353 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 1,305,600 (CPU+GPU)
#5 Lumi
Developed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE), Lumi is one of the fastest supercomputers in the world. It uses 220 nodes of AMD Instinct MI250X for its computational requirements. Located in Kajaani, Finland, this supercomputer is funded by the EuroHPC and Lumi consortium. It is mainly used for research in AI and quantum computing.
Peak Computing Power: 531 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 2,752,704 (CPU+GPU)
#4Fugaku
Fugaku is another petascale supercomputer that is counted among the fastest supercomputers in the world. Unlike other supercomputers, which are used either by an institution or the government, Fugaku is used by the government, institutions, and educational institutions. It is used for many different things. For instance, in 2020, it was used to develop measures to prevent corona and find combinations to make Corona vaccines.
Peak Computing Power: 537 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 7,630,848 (CPU+GPU)
#3 Eagle
This is a supercomputer developed by Microsoft, one of the world’s leading tech companies. It uses a 132-node Nvidia hopper H100, which makes it capable of performing very complex tasks. Currently, it is being used to advance renewable energy research and development. So, it’s no surprise that Eagle stands third in our fastest supercomputers list.
Peak Computing Power: 846 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 2,073,600 (CPU+GPU)
#2 Aurora
This is the first exascale supercomputer on this fastest supercomputers list. Exascale supercomputers can perform tasks at a speed of more than 1000 PetaFLOPS. This Exascale computer was developed by HPE. It is one of the fastest supercomputers in the world, and it is being used to research various topics, like nuclear fusion,[14] low-carbon technologies, subatomic particles, cancer, and cosmology.
Peak Computing Power: 1012 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 9,264,128(CPU+GPU)
#1 Frontier
As the name suggests, this supercomputer is at the forefront of computational capabilities. It is the most advanced and fastest supercomputer on the planet and was developed by HPE, making it their fastest supercomputer ever. Frontier was developed in 2022 with the sole purpose of researching energy sources and climate.
Peak Computing Power: 1206 PetaFLOPS
Total Number Of Cores: 8,699,904 (CPU+GPU)
Is The Supercomputer Era Almost Done?
Supercomputers are some of the most advanced and powerful machines on the planet, capable of performing billions of calculations in a second. However, even they are being overshadowed by upcoming computational giants like the quantum computer. Google, one of the best tech and AI companies in the world, has already made its quantum computer, which is at least 1000x faster than the fastest supercomputers in the world. Moreover the advent of Artificial Intelligence has also opened new paths for developers and scientists all around the world. If companies are able to fabricate these quantum computers, supercomputers will be considered an ancient technology.
