China Building Linux-Based 10 Teraflop Supercomputer

securitas writes "CNet Asia reports that China is building a 2000-processor supercomputer based on the AMD Opteron 64-bit CPU. The new supercomputer will run a Chinese-designed Linux operating system. Based on current standings, the resulting 10-teraflop machine will make it the third most powerful supercomputer in the world. The Red Grid project is being built by Dawning Information Industry and China's National Research Centre for Intelligent Computing Systems. The Red Grid/Dawning 4000A is expected to be complete by June 2004. But China has competition - weighing in at 40 teraflops, the Cray Red Storm AMD-based 10,000-Opteron supercomputer built for Sandia National Labs will become the supercomputer heavyweight next year. More at Infoworld , InternetNews and Yahoo."

Comments

Have the opterons outsold the Intanics?

[brejc8]

The inq have a story wondering if just the two mentioned super computers worth of opterons sold have allready outsold the itanics.

Umm correction to OP

[Glonoinha]

-The new supercomputer will run a Chinese-designed Linux operating system.

No. The new supercomputer will run a Linus-designed Linux operating system that has been heavily modified to suit the tastes of the Chinese. Counter to popular belief, the Chinese did not design Linux.

Re:Umm correction to OP

[rde]

No. The supercomputer will run a GNU-designed, Linux-kernel-based operating system. Counter to popular belief, Linus did not design more than the kernel of the OS.

Normally, I'm not a gnu-head, but if others are going to be pedantic, why shouldn't I?

Re:Air con

[dprice]

The big story should be about the air conditioning system for this baby.

The Earth Simulator in Japan requires is own power plant in an attached building to power the computer and the air conditioning system.

Re:I think that Communist China will overtake US.

[kotj.mf]

Not really. Something like 13% of the land in China is actually arable, a much lower proportion than in the US. And arable land is the most important natural resource of all; you can't really become globe-dominating power without the ability to feed yourself. Hence the freakishly intensive nature of Chinese agrigculture. Most farmers still have to plant thousands upon thousands of rice seedlings by hand.

Cite:

The total land area in China ranks the third in the world and the per capita land area is 0.777 hectare, about one third of the world average figure. The per capita arable land is 0.106 hectare, being 43% of the world average figure. The quality of the arable land in our country is not good on the whole. There are almost six million hectares of steep slope land over 25 degrees in the whole country. The arable land with water sources and irrigation facilities only accounts for 40% and the medium and low yield arable land accounts for 79% of the arable land.