Why Russia is hopelessly behind in the development of supercomputers
The day before, a world ranking of the best supercomputers was published. The first two places in it were taken by computers from the USA, the third - the creation of Chinese engineers. Russia, alas, did not shine in it, worsening its last year’s position. The Lomonosov supercomputer from Moscow State University generally fell out of the top list, Lomonosov-2 went down from 79th to 93rd place, and the supercomputer from Roshydromet from 283rd to 365th. What can this obvious lag behind recognized leaders mean?
What is a supercomputer, and why is it needed at all, in addition to “measuring the teraflops”? Simply put, it is a specialized system with extremely high computational performance, capable of simultaneously processing huge amounts of data. Initially, it was created for military purposes, but as it developed, it was widely used in the "national economy". Thanks to mathematical modeling, it became possible to save big money and time when developing new of technologies.
For example, with the help of a supercomputer, aircraft manufacturers can simulate and evaluate the operation of a new airframe without creating an expensive full-scale model or a promising jet engine. Automakers are able to calculate the wear of components and parts of vehicles. Computer modeling is used by prospectors in assessing the feasibility of developing deposits. The giant power of computers is used in pharmaceuticals, pharmacology and biotechnology.
Thus, it is obvious that supercomputers are becoming an integral part of modern economicswithout which high-tech development is unthinkable. The example of the USA and China clearly confirms this. The American Summit gives out a performance of 148 thousand teraflops, its rival from California - 94 thousand, Chinese Sunway TaihuLight with 93 thousand teraflops breathes in its back. For comparison, the most powerful Russian Lomonosov-2 located at Moscow State University is estimated at 2,478 thousand teraflops.
So why is our country lagging behind technological progress, despite “modernization” and “innovation”?
At first, Russia is heavily dependent on imports of foreign component base.
Secondlybesides polite curiosity, officials of relevant ministries and departments do not take a special part in the development of domestic supercomputers. “Lomonosov-2” Moscow State University had to do at its own expense on an initiative basis. University spokesman Vladimir Voevodin complains:
Thirdly, for such super-computers in modern Russia there is not much work. Predict the weather, yes. But our economy is of a pronounced raw material nature, and it seems that the authorities are not going to join the real high-tech race with the United States and China.
That's why in a year or two, the country is likely to finally fly out of the Top 500 best supercomputers in the world.
What is a supercomputer, and why is it needed at all, in addition to “measuring the teraflops”? Simply put, it is a specialized system with extremely high computational performance, capable of simultaneously processing huge amounts of data. Initially, it was created for military purposes, but as it developed, it was widely used in the "national economy". Thanks to mathematical modeling, it became possible to save big money and time when developing new of technologies.
For example, with the help of a supercomputer, aircraft manufacturers can simulate and evaluate the operation of a new airframe without creating an expensive full-scale model or a promising jet engine. Automakers are able to calculate the wear of components and parts of vehicles. Computer modeling is used by prospectors in assessing the feasibility of developing deposits. The giant power of computers is used in pharmaceuticals, pharmacology and biotechnology.
Thus, it is obvious that supercomputers are becoming an integral part of modern economicswithout which high-tech development is unthinkable. The example of the USA and China clearly confirms this. The American Summit gives out a performance of 148 thousand teraflops, its rival from California - 94 thousand, Chinese Sunway TaihuLight with 93 thousand teraflops breathes in its back. For comparison, the most powerful Russian Lomonosov-2 located at Moscow State University is estimated at 2,478 thousand teraflops.
So why is our country lagging behind technological progress, despite “modernization” and “innovation”?
At first, Russia is heavily dependent on imports of foreign component base.
Secondlybesides polite curiosity, officials of relevant ministries and departments do not take a special part in the development of domestic supercomputers. “Lomonosov-2” Moscow State University had to do at its own expense on an initiative basis. University spokesman Vladimir Voevodin complains:
There is no constructive response so far. There is no official refusal, but the result will appear only when a real program for the development of supercomputers in Russia is developed.
Thirdly, for such super-computers in modern Russia there is not much work. Predict the weather, yes. But our economy is of a pronounced raw material nature, and it seems that the authorities are not going to join the real high-tech race with the United States and China.
That's why in a year or two, the country is likely to finally fly out of the Top 500 best supercomputers in the world.
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