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Iran Builds Supercomputer From Banned AMD Parts

Posted by Zonk on from the maybe-they-fell-off-the-back-of-a-really-big-truck dept.

Stony Stevenson writes with the news that, despite a ban on US PC hardware, Iranian techs have built an enormously powerful supercomputer from 216 AMD processors. The Linux-cluster machine has a 'theoretical peak performance of 860 gig-flops'. "The disclosure, made in an undated posting on [the University of] Amirkabir's Web site, brought an immediate response Monday from AMD, which said it has never authorized shipments of products either directly or indirectly to Iran or any other embargoed country."

6 of 778 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I am encouraged by this by gardyloo · · Score: 1, Troll

    This tells me that there are university professors and students who are passionate about hi-tech. That passion is a productive alternative to the other model we have of Iran as a bunch of wild eyed fundamentalists who want to bomb the world back to the 8th century. Perhaps this competing force of moderation in Iran will grow its influence through hi tech and universities. Interesting. Substitute "United States" for "Iran", and see how things change...
  2. Re:They are the Boogeymen! by immovable_object · · Score: 1, Troll

    Boy, you are naive. What are supercomputers used for in the DOD? Nuclear weapon simulations. By simulating the nuclear weapon, you can test your designs without needing to (re)build a bunch of bombs.

    If Iran builds a nuclear weapon, the entire middle east landscape changes. Iran can now threaten Saudi Arabia, Israel and others with the use of nuclear weapons. It takes them from a bunch-of-religious-radicals with guns to a bunch-of-religious-radicals with a nuclear bomb.

    It then turns from a discussion of equals in the middle east to a discussion of nuclear powers (Israel and Iran) and everybody else.

  3. Re:They are the Boogeymen! by cheater512 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Ah but Iran has Allah on their side. :)

    If they can "Wipe Israel off the map" and have a chance for the top government officials to live to tell the tail then they'd probably do it.

    Rationality goes out the window when the whole feud is based on religion.

  4. Re:They are the Boogeymen! by BlackPignouf · · Score: 0, Troll

    You're right! USA & Israel don't threaten to eradicate anyone, they just do it!
    The US are still the only country that has ever used nuclear weapons.

    Go live in the Gaza strip, Irak, Afghanistan or Lebanon before saying that US/Israel don't eradicate any other country!

  5. Re:They are the Boogeymen! by UbuntuDupe · · Score: 0, Troll

    Unfortunately, you can build a supercomputer simply by having a bunch of regular computers in a Beowulf Cluster. (Ha, ha, let's laugh every time someone mentions that!) If you want Iran not to have the capability to make a supercomputer, you're asking them to either:

    -Not have PCs at all, or
    -Not have the Free software they would need to cluster them.

    Neither is realistic.

    --
    Apology to Ubuntu forum.
  6. Thank god... by SiriusStarr · · Score: 0, Troll

    ...they were only AMD's. I was getting worried there for a second. One day they hope to upgrade to a single Penryn.

    --
    Fear the penguin.