FEATURE Overcoming Difficulties amid the COVID-19 Crisis The World’s Fastest Computer Leading has claimed top spots in four fi elds of performance: computing speed, AI, big data, and application performance. COVID-19 Research In developing Fugaku, Fujitsu and RIKEN aimed to create a highly versatile that can solve various social issues. In June 2020, Japan’s supercomputer Fugaku was certified as the fastest computer in the world. Boasting high levels of performance and versatility, it has already achieved positive results in the being ranked first only in terms of coming on the heels of its successful medications. Focusing not only fight against COVID-19. computing speed; what is important utilization in research on COVID-19. on anti-viral drugs, but also on is that the machine is successful in a The supercomputer was put into medications for such diseases as wide range of fields. We thought long trial use in April 2020 following the cancer and diabetes, an analysis and hard about what the machine global outbreak of the coronavirus. was made of 2,128 different drugs he Japanese supercomputer remarkable versatility in running a speed), HPCG (for performance in could be used for and what kind of A new research finding was then by simulating the process of binding TFugaku has been attracting wide range of software by utilizing practical applications), HPL-AI (for scientific results could be achieved. I announced dealing with droplet between the drugs and the protein a great deal of attention for helping the British-made ARM instruction AI processing performance), and the think that Fugaku’s winning of four infections in an indoor environment, “main protease,” which promotes combat the ongoing coronavirus set for working applications. Another (for big data processing). different benchmarks is testament to reminding the public that wearing the viral proliferation of COVID-19. pandemic. As the RIKEN Institute notable feature is Fugaku’s power- This is the fi rst time that a our efforts to pursue usability and masks and maintaining ventilation Though simulations would generally and Fujitsu Ltd. jointly started saving capability: last year, it ranked supercomputer has topped the ranking versatility and is thus a significant are effective ways to stop the spread take a normal supercomputer one developing it in 2014, Fugaku can first in the world in the Green500, a in all four categories. Moreover, achievement.” of the virus. year to do, Fugaku was able to be seen as an amalgamation of global ranking based on the energy Fugaku signifi cantly outperformed its Fugaku is planned to be completed Furthermore, Fugaku has complete them in just 10 days, Japanese technological prowess. efficiency of . nearest competitors—a remarkable and fully operational in 2021. The been contributing to therapeutic enabling the existing drug candidates A top priority of the design was More recently, Fugaku claimed achievement. computer is expected to contribute drug research. Specifically, the to be narrowed down to just a few creating a system that is easy to the top spot in several major world MATSUOKA Satoshi, director of to solving social problems in several supercomputer has been used to dozen. Cell experiments and clinical use. Fujitsu’s newly developed supercomputer performance rankings, the RIKEN Center for Computational fields, such as disaster prevention find a potentially effective drug for trials will be conducted from now A64FX microprocessor has achieved including the TOP500 (for calculation Science, says, “There is no point in and environmental protection, COVID-19 from a pool of existing on to verify the effects of the drugs. Research is also underway to investigate the behavior of the novel coronavirus. If Fugaku can A simulation showing the characteristics of 2011 June K computer (Japan) reveal protein structures and their 2011 November K computer (Japan) Calculation speeds airborne droplets coughed out by a person on a stage in an auditorium. Analysis 2012 June Sequoia (U.S.) mutations (a difficult feat with by the top-ranking was also done on a number of assumed 2012 November Titan (U.S.) computers in environments and ventilation conditions, laboratory experimentation), it 2013 June Tianhe-2A (China) the TOP500 lists including those in hospital rooms, offi ces, could have a profound impact on 2013 November Tianhe-2A (China) and classrooms. the development of vaccines and 2014 June Tianhe-2A (China) 2014 November Tianhe-2A (China) therapeutic drugs. “Fugaku has the 2015 June Tianhe-2A (China) capability to run extremely complex 2015 November Tianhe-2A (China) simulations—something that we 2016 June TaihuLight (China) previously could have only dreamed 2016 November Sunway TaihuLight (China) about,” maintains Matsuoka. “The 2017 June Sunway TaihuLight (China) 2017 November Sunway TaihuLight (China) realization of a society where people 2018 June (U.S.) can live safely and securely is one 2018 November Summit (U.S.) of the key missions for Fugaku. I 2019 June Summit (U.S.) Supercomputer Fugaku hope that it will contribute to the 2019 November Summit (U.S.) (Japan) 2020 June containment of COVID-19 as soon Molecular-level simulations can reproduce the process in which TFlop/s 0.0 50000.0 100000.0 150000.0 200000.0 250000.0 300000.0 350000.0 400000.0 450000.0 as possible.” Fugaku is another name for Mt. Fuji. Director Matsuoka of the RIKEN Center for drugs bind with the proteins that propagate the novel coronavirus. Computational Science says that he wants to utilize the supercomputer in a wide range of * A terafl op refers to the capability of a processor to calculate exactly one trillion (10 12) The picture shows an image of the simulation: applications, serving as a metaphor for the wide plains at the foot of Mt. Fuji. fl oating-point operations per second. the drug’s molecule, in pink, surrounds the protein.

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