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Asks an American tax payer: Why does America need to have the fastest super-computer? (the premis of this and other coverage of this topic)

• dmlorenzetti 16y ago
  One could flip that question around and ask: Why does China need the fastest machine? The significance of the story isn't that America no longer ranks first. I believe that in general, the really fast machines serve one of two purposes-- simulating nukes (for example, to test new designs), and simulating global environment (for example, to improve climate predictions).
• ihumanable 16y ago
  I think the article is making the argument that the goal of having the fastest X or the biggest X or being the first to X is not the point. Supercomputers have real value, in the sense that they are used to solve real problems that can't be solved otherwise. The bigger point seems to be that the benefit in getting to X is that you normally create a lot of technology that ends up being beneficial to the economy in general. Having an uninterruptable communication network led to the internet. Being able to deploy ICBMs across the nation led to the Highway System. Going to space created a ton of new materials and manufacturing systems that have created products that couldn't have existed before. Having the fastest supercomputer is the trees, the forest is the wealth of technology and industries born out of that race.
  • dotBen 16y ago
    Supercomputers have real value, in the sense that they are used to solve real problems that can't be solved otherwise Sure, and this answers the question "why have super-computers", indeed, the US has several. I'm not just sure if any of the reasons you specify, all valid, suddenly become invalid when there is simply a delta between the power of US vs China systems.