Top 500 supers – The Dawning of the GPUs

With the International Super Computing conference underway this week, the Top 500 ranking of the world's most powerful supercomputers is out, and the bi-annual is just starting to be transformed by the advent of cheap flops embodied in graphics co-processing engines from Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. While the 1.76 …

[Anonymous Coward]

After all these years...

It has just occurred to me...

Parallel or not parallel, surely. Like pregnant. Something either is or it isn't. *Massively* Parallel?

...I'll get my coat.

[Anonymous Coward]

RE: After all these years...

I see your point, but on the other hand I have known several people who were massively pregnant.

Clam.

[Steve Roper]

It's a matter of degree, surely

Like pregnant. A woman may be Pregnant, as in just starting to show, or she may be *Massively* Pregnant, as in hobbling around with twins inside her like a bloated beached whale at 8 1/2 months...

So the only question is how many is the difference between "Parallel" and "Massively Parallel"?

[blackworx]

All of which would tend to suggest...

...that someone, somewhere, is playing Crysis with everything on high.

[Mr Templedene]

The BBC

Has a lovely graphical representation of the top 500

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10187248.stm

Linux seems to power lost of them

[Asgard]

@"Linux seems to power lots of them"

Yes I clicked on the "By OS" button on that web page, to see what they used, and at first it shocked me. It did make me laugh (I bet Microsoft are not laughing).

Its really jarring to see how many use Linux. I didn't realise it was anywhere near that many and to think these are the top computers in the world. It really made me see how strong Linux is becoming. :)

[Chris Miller]

Nice graphics page

at the Beeb here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10187248.stm

[Mr Templedene]

d'oh

I believe I meant MOST not LOST in my OP

[Gwaptiva]

A title just because it's required

My ePeen is floppier than your ePeen

[Jedi Name Germinator]

These benchmarks...

..mean nothing.

[Martin Huizing]

You forgot something...

...waving of the hand, the Jedi way...

[Lars]

Linux

Linux is now at 91% with 455 out of 500, and growing.

Could have been mentioned in this article, perhaps, but the again Linux is the super computer standard of to day.

Few know about that, however, and on this top500 list it was a "forboten" word for many years.

[BeachBoy]

... and not on the list

While there are a few machines on the list that have their use listed as "Classified" it seems to me this is a very small number.

I'm guessing there are quite a few boxes in the Virginia area of the USA and the Glocestershire area of the UK that aren't on this list but would certainly be top 20 or better contenders.

Mines the one with the paranioa medication in the pocket ......

[Sim~]

Old tech right this way...

Having checked out the bottom 50 of the list, I'd be happy with any of them. Any volunteers for postage...?

[mrbe]

Nebulae has 4640 nodes and GPUs

Timothy, you say Nebulae has "4700 nodes", but I think it is certainly 4640. See "A Look at the 4640-GPU Nebulae Supercomputer":

http://blog.zorinaq.com/?e=14

[John 62]

WETA

I had a look at the BBC page too and New Zealand, or rather WETA on it's own, has more computing power than most of the world's countries.

The Master program will be making us all ride lightcycles soon enough.

[Dave Bell]

Don't ring us...

I see New Zealand is worth a mention. And most of it is down to a company called WETA Digital.

I wonder what Pixar and ILM have. Not as easy to spot in that BBC graphic.

[Magnus_Pym]

I think...

... they send their stuff to WETA for final rendering.

[The Indomitable Gall]

The USA...

...maybe the government should be asking its agencies to time-share? I mean, do they really need all that power all the time?

[Anonymous Coward]

Was it just me...

...did anyone just "switch-off" after the third paragraph and jump straight to the comments?

[Anonymous Coward]

Third paragraph?

I came straight to the comments from the BBC article!