China unveils sample machine for new-generation exascale supercomputer

The National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin unveiled a sample machine for the new-generation exascale supercomputer at the second World Intelligence Congress.

Photo taken on May 17, 2018 shows the prototype of Tianhe-3, a supercomputer capable of at least a billion billion calculations per second, during the 2nd World Intelligence Congress in north China's Tianjin. The National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin displayed the prototype of the supercomputer for the first time at the intelligence congress. [Photo/Xinhua]

It is the first time the machine, which has three sets of equipment, each about two meters high, was on public view.

The new supercomputer Tianhe-3 will be 200 times faster and have 100 times more storage capacity than the Tianhe-1 supercomputer, China's first petaflop supercomputer launched in 2010, said Xia Zijun, deputy director of the research and development branch at the center.

The sample machine will be a test for the computing power of the Tianhe-3 supercomputer, which is expected to be ready in 2020, he said. The sample machine will go operational by year end.

It will pave the way for the development of a supercomputer capable of a billion billion calculations per second.

The center will explore the application of the computers in super computing, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and Internet of things, he said.

The supercomputer center in Tianjin began developing the exascale supercomputer with the National University of Defense Technology in 2016.