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Sun Super Computer May Hit 2 Petaflops

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the coming-out-swinging dept.

Fletcher writes to tell us that Sun Microsystems has revealed their "Constellation System", a new supercomputing platform that the company hopes will put them back in the running for top dog in the supercomputer race. "The linchpin in the system is the switch, the piece of hardware that conducts traffic between the servers, memory and data storage. Code-named Magnum, the switch comes with 3,456 ports, a larger-than-normal number that frees up data pathways inside these powerful computers. 'We are looking at a factor-of-three improvement over the current best system at an equal number of nodes," said Andy Bechtolsheim, chief architect and senior vice president of the systems group at Sun. "We have been somewhat absent in the supercomputer market in the last few years.'"

5 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory Trekky correction... by Kamokazi · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    The original Enterprise was a CONSTITUTION class, not Constellation...the known canon Constellation class ships are:

    USS Constellation (NCC-1974)
    USS Hathaway (NCC-2593)
    USS Stargazer (NCC-2893) (Picard's ship prior to Enterprise-D)
    USS Victory (NCC-9754)
    and the unnamed NCC-7100

    Reference: http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Constellation_clas s

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    1. Re:Obligatory Trekky correction... by Anonymous+McCartneyf · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Okay! Let the first production vs. of this supercomputer be called the Stargazer! Sounds quite fitting... [smile]

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  2. Were they really trying? by Ub3rT3Rr0R1St · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    When they came up with the word "petaflop"...Couldn't they have come up with something a little more phonetically scientific?

    I'm not one to argue about etimology, but that sounds like something you would use to measure bunny ears.

    "Hey Frank, you get a chance to check the stats on those rabbit ear movements?" "Yeah! We're at 2.3 petaflops Mike!"

  3. awesome, but.. by martin_henry · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ...how long until the p0rn industry gets a hold of a few?

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  4. Re:Who is paying? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Looks like the NSF has kicked in $59 million:
    http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=1080 51&org=NSF&from=news

    The NSF program manager Stephen Meacham who ok'd the grant was probably appointed because of this article from 2000:

    Low-Frequency Variability in the Wind-Driven Circulation
    Volume 30, Issue 2 (February 2000)

    (last paragraph of the abstract)
    "In the baroclinic model, these fluctuations occur on a decadal timescale and are sufficiently large that they must be considered a potential component mechanism for some of the decadal climate oscillations seen in the extratropics."

    In simplifed terms it says we can blame hurricanes in the gulf on something other than humans.

    Cheney's cronies probably had a hay-day with the report and put the pressure on to appoint him.