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DARPA Wants a 19" Super-Efficient Supercomputer

Posted by timothy on from the as-do-we-all dept.

coondoggie writes "If you can squish all the processing power of, say, an IBM Roadrunner supercomputer inside a 19-inch box and make it run on about 60 kilowatts of electricity, the government wants to talk to you. The extreme scientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency this week issued a call for research that might develop a super-small, super-efficient super beast of a computer. Specifically, DARPA's desires for Ubiquitous High Performance Computing (UHPC) will require a new system-wide technology approach including hardware and software co-design to minimize energy dissipation per operation and maximize energy efficiency, with a 50GFLOPS per watt goal."

18 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. These aren't normal scientists... by Karganeth · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...They're EXTREME scientists!

  2. No problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just stick a human brain in a bucket. It's small, quiet, cool and just feed it a Cheeto every once in a while to keep it running.

    1. Re:No problem by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, since Darpa also wants the operating system to be self aware, that's a start.

    2. Re:No problem by Kjella · · Score: 4, Funny

      And since the human brain has a computational power of 100 petaflops at 20 watts, it'd well exceed DARPA's requirements.

      Only before you subtract the power used to think about pr0n. Or you can use a female brain, it'll no nuclear on you only once a month.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    3. Re:No problem by dkleinsc · · Score: 2, Funny

      What happens if we use an Ab Normal brain?

      --
      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
  3. Re:Could at least editors have a look at TFA? by eliphalet · · Score: 2, Funny

    How tall does this rack have to be?

  4. Re:extreme scientists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Back *waaaaay* off, man. I'm an *extreme* scientist!

  5. Re:extreme scientists by causality · · Score: 2, Funny

    Back *waaaaay* off, man. I'm an *extreme* scientist!

    That sounds like a nice bumper sticker. For the rear bumper.

    --
    It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
  6. 19" tower and space elevator in one by davidwr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Two! Two! Two projects in one!

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  7. Re:extreme scientists by Quothz · · Score: 4, Funny

    Back *waaaaay* off, man. I'm an *extreme* scientist!

    Oh, yeah? Where's your badge?

  8. Re:oblig by Kratisto · · Score: 5, Funny

    Grendel wouldn't stand a chance!

    --
    Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.
  9. Re:57KW air-cooled 19" Rack? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    If it's Cisco, they suck a lot more than that.

  10. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  11. Alternate way to get one by gmuslera · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just stay around girls called Sarah Connor. A supercomputer of around that size will appear eventually, and you will take as bonus a portable nuclear reactor, and a somewhat aggressive AI. Be sure to erase memory because it surely will contain a nasty trojan horse.

  12. Re:Yeah sure by TCM · · Score: 5, Funny

    19 inch box?

    They didn't say how high.

    In other news, progress on a space elevator has been confirmed. Curiously, it's 19 inch wide.

    --
    Of course it runs NetBSD. BTC: 1NT7QvbetmANwaMzhpVL6
  13. BEOWULF! by dandart · · Score: 2, Funny

    But will it run Crysis? But in all seriousness, BEOWULF OF DSs!

  14. Hmmmm by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 4, Funny

    So now we know what the hardware requirements for Windows 10 are going to be.

  15. Government job by lagomorpha2 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Given this is the government would I still get funding if I developed a computer that was capable of 50 Gwatts per FLOP?