TechKnowledgey 2005
NEC’s SX- 8 is rated at up to 65 TFLOPS
when configured with 512 nodes.
Courtesy of NEC Corp.
dog on the block by achieving 36.01
TFLOPS performance, based on the
Linpack benchmark.
However, NEC Corporation
( www.nec.com) has announced the
worldwide launch of its model SX- 8,
claiming that it can deliver 65
TFLOPS.
Using the same vector architecture as NEC’s Earth Simulator, the
new product combines enhanced
CPUs with improved memory and I/O
processing performance.
An enhanced, single-chip vector
processor — also used by the SX- 6 —
contributes to the improved price
performance and space savings
offered by the SX- 8. The machine is
intended for use in fields that require
large scale and ultra high speed
computing of massive data, such as
meteorological forecasting, environmental simulations, and automotive
crash analysis.
The single-node model (which
can include up to eight CPUs) will
give you only 128 GFLOPS, so you’ll
need to order a multiple-node to
achieve peak performance. Monthly
rental charges are reported to start at
about $11,000.00.
Keep in mind, however, that the
“fastest supercomputer” crown is
still being passed around and IBM
plans to get it back by delivering a
360 TFLOP machine to the
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory
later this year.
JANUARY 2005
New Portable USB
Hard Drives
Western Digital’s Passport drives are
compact and require no separate
power supply. Courtesy of
Western Digital Corporation.
Late in 2004, Western Digital
Corporation (www.western
digital.com) unveiled the Passport
line of portable USB hard drives offering
a choice of 40 or 80 GB capacities
and (in most cases) no need for a
separate power supply. The drives are
based on the 2.5 inch Scorpio mechanism, include the company’s Data
Lifeguard data protection, and are
packaged in a rugged case.
According to the vendor, WD
Passport Portable Drives are able to
withstand the rigors of mobile professionals and other users who need to
carry substantial amounts of data with
them. A detailed product spec sheet
and photos of the drives are available
on the company’s website. The list
price is $199.00 for the 40 GB version
and $249.00 for the 80 GB one.
Playing With Disaster
Disaster Dave helps kids learn disaster
readiness skills in “Disaster Dave’s
Misadventures,” a new educational
computer game developed by Purdue
Extension and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
For those who want to teach
children in the community about
The Standard for checking
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