IBM triples performance of world's fastest computer

IBM has tripled the performance of the world’s most powerful supercomputer.

Big Blue has announced Blue Gene/P, the second generation of the world’s fastest machine. Blue Gene/P nearly triples the performance of its predecessor, Blue Gene/L.

IBM said the new computer remains the most energy-efficient and space-saving computing package ever built.

Blue Gene/P is designed to operate continuously at speeds exceeding one “petaflop” – or one-quadrillion operations per second. 

The system is 100,000 times more powerful than a home PC and can process more operations in one second than the combined power of a stack of laptop computers nearly 1.5 miles high, said IBM. 

Dave Turek, vice-president of deep computing at IBM, said:, " We see commercial interest in Blue Gene developing now in energy and finance, for example.”

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