tech
Chinese supercomputer leapfrogs best US machines to be ranked world's fastest
China's LineShine debuts at number one in Top500 – a list sometimes viewed as a national measure of global tech prowess
TL;DR
- China's LineShine supercomputer is now ranked the world's most powerful, taking the number one spot on the Top500 list.
- LineShine uses conventional computer chips (CPUs) instead of the more common GPUs for AI and requires 42.2 megawatts of electricity.
- It achieved 2.198 exaflops, capable of over 2 quintillion calculations per second.
- The US supercomputer El Capitan is now ranked second, followed by two other US machines.
- Germany's Jupiter supercomputer dropped to fifth place.
- Other countries with machines in the top 10 include Italy, Switzerland, and Japan.
- The UK has 11 machines in the top 500, with Isambard-AI being the highest ranked at 11th.
- The EU is investing €20bn in building AI 'gigafactories' with advanced supercomputers.
- Campaigners express concerns that power-hungry data centers may impact climate goals.