The newest technological creation from Google is the exascale supercomputer. It is set to completely alter the current outlook of computing space due to its almost incomprehensible computing speed of one trillion operations per second. This remarkable achievement, however, is shadowed by a critical dilemma: how will these systems be ‘powered’? The current energy generation ability is not suited to achieve the tremendous requirements of exascale machines, thus becoming a problem for the further advancement of computational systems. Exascale computers are power-hungry machines; they consume as much electricity as a small town to run only one machine. This energy consumption is several orders of magnitude higher than what we have seen with prior technologies. The computation scale of these machines requires a proportional energy input to fuel them. As we inch closer to this new frontier in computing, the global challenge becomes clear: The present infrastructure for energy distribution and transmission cannot support these systems’ needs. For a better understanding, imagine that a conventional supercomputer might use several megawatts of power, and an experimental exascale supercomputer should consume tens or more of megawatts. The consequences of this energy consumption are clear. In other words, the availability and readiness of the computing technology depend on the availability of more efficient energy sources for it to be widely used. This has brought to question researchers and engineers concerning energy efficiency and advancements in cooling techniques, energy recycling, and integrating renewable energy. The demand for renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources has never been greater. Energy considerations should not be overlooked when attempting to satisfy the need for highly complex computation as exascale.
Full story : Google new exascale supercomputer has a computing speed of whopping one trillion operations per second.
