China launches third prototype exascale computer

A researcher checks data storage devices associated with the supercomputer. [PHOTO/XINHUA]

TIANJIN - China has launched a third prototype exascale computing machine, the next-generation supercomputer, according to the developer.

The Shuguang exascale computer is expected to be put into operation in national supercomputing centers in Shanghai and Shenzhen, said its developer Dawning Information Industry Co. Ltd.

An exascale computer is able to execute a quintillion calculations per second. In China, prototypes are being developed by three teams led by the National Research Center of Parallel Computer Engineering and Technology (NRCPC), Dawning Information Industry, and the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT).

With Shuguang's launch, the three developers have all launched prototype exascale computing machines, marking a further step toward China's successful development of the next-generation supercomputer.

"The launch of a prototype exascale computing machine helps researchers test and improve key technologies through trial and error, and clear obstacles for the final computing system," said Zhang Yunquan, a researcher with the Institute of Computing Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.