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Software to Make Blue Gene Top 200 Teraflops

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the crunching-rather-than-taste dept.

An anonymous reader writes "New Scientist has a story about the most intensive computer program ever created. It runs on IBM's big beast, Blue Gene/L, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and carries out 207.3 teraflops (trillion cacluations per second). The program, called Qbox, performs very complex quantum calculations to simulate the behaviour of thousands of atoms in three dimensions. Wow."

21 of 171 comments (clear)

  1. Slight clarification by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 4, Funny

    It does not perform very complex quantum calculations, instead
    It simulates interactions between 1000 molybdenum atoms under high pressure using equations that take the quantum behaviour of electrons into account.

    Also, when its not being used to dynamically model atomic structures, the IRS uses it to calculate Bill gates's taxes.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
    1. Re:Slight clarification by rolfwind · · Score: 4, Funny

      And it almost makes the requirements for Vista!

  2. Yeah, but... by wiz31337 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, but can it beat Kasparov at chess?

    --
    /whisper/ Thanks for the candy!
    1. Re:Yeah, but... by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Funny
      It's so powerful, it can beat Kasparov in chess and monitor millions of phone calls for the NSA *at the same time*!

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    2. Re:Yeah, but... by Sabaki · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, but it's already mapped his genome and is working on a clone that will be completely under its control.

    3. Re:Yeah, but... by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Funny
      Geez, I am sick of getting modded down for this. Can /. please stop giving the White House unlimited mod points?

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  3. Too bad for Q-box... by vishbar · · Score: 3, Funny
    New Scientist has a story about the most intensive computer program ever created.

    Too bad for Q-Box that their title will be stripped of them so soon. Vista's almost here.

    Wait a minute, Vista? Nevermind...Q-box should have it for a long while.

    --
    Ride the skies
    1. Re:Too bad for Q-box... by bl00d6789 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Since QBox's title is for requiring the most computing power to carry out its intended application, Vista may well unseat it. It's just that QBox's intended application is extremely complex quantum physics calculations, and Vista's intended application is letting people check their email. So... not quite a victory for Vista.

  4. More importantly... by batmn42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Wow."

    More importantly, at what FPS does it play WoW?

    Though I wouldn't be surprised if it needs a new graphics card for Crysis...

  5. Re:Linux by spun · · Score: 3, Funny

    Only after it calculates Bill Gates' taxes and beats Kasparov at chess, apparently.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  6. Only the most intensive USEFUL program by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Funny

    I mean, I'm sure I could use up more than 200 teraflops with my "while (1);" program.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    1. Re:Only the most intensive USEFUL program by Ant+P. · · Score: 1, Funny

      Don't be silly.

      Everyone knows Linux can finish that loop in 5 seconds.

    2. Re:Only the most intensive USEFUL program by owlstead · · Score: 2, Funny

      I would not use an optimizing compiler on that one either :)

  7. Molest me not by Weaselmancer · · Score: 4, Funny

    The program, called Qbox, performs very complex quantum calculations to simulate the behaviour of thousands of atoms in three dimensions.

    "Molest me not with this pocket calcualtor stuff."

    --
    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.
  8. My ship does better than that! by tbcpp · · Score: 1, Funny

    So what? My destroyer in EVE does 215tf!

    Wait....I need to stop playing that game so much.....

    --
    Man is the lowest-cost, 150-pound, nonlinear, all-purpose computer system which can be mass-produced by unskilled labor.
  9. Smart, sure. But is it happy? by fred_sanford · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oblig. H2G2. "Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they ask me to take you down to the bridge. Call that job satisfaction? 'Cos I don't." - Marvin

  10. I suspect the answer ends up by jhw539 · · Score: 4, Funny

    42.

  11. Perspective by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    2006:
    performs very complex quantum calculations to simulate the behaviour of thousands of atoms in three dimensions. Wow.

    2016:
    performs very complex quantum calculations to simulate the behaviour of thousands of atoms in three dimensions. That's all? Man, your game console is totally lame.
  12. Fill in Blank Please by Frightening · · Score: 2, Funny

    Imagine a _________ cluster of those.

    Well done, you may now enter. Gaming room to the right, pron cubicles left, and crazy linux hardware center up ahead.
    We hope you enjoy your stay at Geek Heaven.

  13. Re:How to test a nuke.. without testing one by stratjakt · · Score: 2, Funny

    They simply check the result by hand.

    Call your broker, because it's a good time to invest in pencil and paper futures.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  14. Screenshot here by ultramk · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wonder what the cubes represent?

    Oh, wait. Qbox. Nevermind.

    m-

    --
    You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas