K computer, Supercomputer at RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science in Kobe, Japan
K computer was a supercomputer at RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science in Kobe. The system used SPARC64 VIIIfx processors and Tofu interconnect technology for its computing operations.
The machine started operating in June 2011 and became the first computer worldwide to reach speeds above 8 petaflops. It remained the fastest system on earth until June 2012 and was retired in August 2019.
The letter comes from the Japanese word for 10 quadrillion and shows how the country likes to use numbers with symbolic weight in science projects. Visitors can trace this connection between language and technical progress when they learn what the name really means.
The facility stood in a purpose-built building at the RIKEN Institute and was intended for research in climate modeling and medicine. Since retirement the system is no longer available for calculations and has been replaced by newer technology.
The computing power of the system equaled roughly one million standard desktop computers working on a single task at the same time. This scale made simulations possible that previously sat beyond human reach.
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