NEC gets first order for SX-9 supercomputer

November 1, 2007 —

A week to the day since NEC launched its new SX-9 supercomputer, the company
has its first order.

Tohoku
University in the northern Japanese city of Sendai has ordered a 16-node
system, the computer maker said. The new computer should achieve a peak performance
of 26.2T Flops (floating point operations per second) making it the fastest
SX-series supercomputer in Japan, according to NEC.

The machine will be used at the university's Information
Synergy Center. The center supports scientists working in cutting-edge fields
such as aeronautics and space, environmental simulations, IT and nanotechnology
and has a long history of using NEC computers. It employed an NEC SENAC-1
shortly after it opened in 1969 and became an early customer for NEC supercomputers
with an SX-1 in 1986.

The new SX-9 that Tohoku University will get is one of the most powerful computers
yet developed. The machine is based on a custom processor capable of a peak
vector performance of 102.4G Flops.

As a vector supercomputer it's good at running scientific applications and
where large amounts of data need to be processed. Such machines typically find
homes in universities, meteorological agencies, automakers and aerospace laboratories.

When it launched the machine last week NEC said it hopes to gain about 700
orders over the next three years. The machine is offered on lease with prices
starting at ¥2.98 million ($26,000) per month for the entry-level system.
Meteo France and Osaka University will be among the first customers, the company
said at the launch.

IDG News Service