Big problems – figuring out how the brain works, gauging the effectiveness of H1N1 flu drugs, recreating the universe’s origins – demand big computer smarts. We’re talking teraflops – trillions of floating point instructions per second.

The November issue of Wired magazine features its choices for the world’s biggest, baddest supercomputers/super-clusters.  While “low performance computing” and the cloud are the topic du jour in grid and high-performance computing circles, let’s face it:  For raw excitement and computing excitement, these more traditional “super simulators” still sizzle.   By order of size:  

Ranger 

Texas Advanced Computing Center, Austin, Texas
Processors 15,744
Peak teraflops 504

Replicates the interactions of the H1N1 flu virus with the human body and the effect of various over-the-counter drugs.

Earth Simulator
Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Japan
Processors 1,280
Peak teraflops 131

Runs global climate simulations. A recent upgrade tripled its speed, meaning more accurate and timely predictions.

Discover
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Processors 11,032
Peak teraflops 111

 Reproduces Earth’s paleolithic-era climate and uses it to test new models for predicting weather patterns.

Blue Brain
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland¹
Processors 8,192
Peak teraflops 22.4

Simulates the interactions among neurons in the neocortex — the brain’s reasoning center — to learn how thinking works

Visualization Cluster
Hayden Planetarium, New York City
Processors 300
Peak teraflops 5.54

Re-creates the universe. When the visitors leave, scientists from around the world take over the Planetarium to play what-if.   

True cyber speed freaks will want to keep score of the world’s baddest big iron at http://www.top500.org/