World's Fastest Supercomputer to be Linux

xinit was one of the people who pointed us to the CNET story running about the possibility that a current bid by SGI for a supercomputer could be run on Linux. The supercomputer could be the fastest in the world at time of its production. SGI has confirmed the bid, saying it's being targeted for 2001, if the bid is accepted. The placement would be Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Comments

This is a BAD RUMOR at best.

[Wakko Warner]

SGI's Cray line of supercomputers -- which I'd imagine this would be -- run a specialized UNIX os which is highly tuned for multiple processors (Unicos). There's absolutely no way on this planet they'd pull that out and toss Linux in, especially given that Linux can barely handle eight processors as it is, let alone *hundreds*.

Don't get me wrong, I love Linux. But let's be realistic here. That article contained little to no factual data. The only thing they're running on is conjecture -- SGI has expressed interest in Linux in the past, so they're assuming this hundred-million-dollar multi-teraflop machine will run it? I'll believe it when I see it.

I'll bet you, unless SGI come up with some sort of Beowulf solution instead of their time-tested Cray supercomputers, we'll be seeing yet another Unicos machine at the top of the "World's Fastest Supercomputers" list in a few years.

- A.P.
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