• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire

2

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure

3

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

1

The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire

2

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure

3

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Techsupercomputer

China Still Has the World’s Most Powerful Supercomputer

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 16, 2015, 8:05 PM ET
172124494
computer code abstractPhotograph by Getty Images

China leads the world once again when it comes to supercomputing.

The country’s Tianhe-2 (or “Milky Way-2”) supercomputer is the most powerful machine in the world, according to a list of the top 500 supercomputers compiled by researchers from institutions like the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

This makes for the sixth straight time China’s supercomputer has topped the biannual list from the Top500 organization. The list also shows that China now has 109 of the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers, or almost three times more than in the last report six months ago.

Meanwhile, the Unites States has 200 supercomputers on the list, which the authors said is the “lowest number of systems installed in the U.S. since the list was started in 1993.” The authors didn’t address why this may be. But it could be related to the rise of cloud computing, in which organizations can buy computing resources on demand from companies like Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT). Companies and researchers no longer need to own a computer to be able to crunch large amounts of data.

Still, the U.S. aims to eventually lead the world in supercomputing. Last fall, IBM (IBM) said it would develop two new supercomputers, dubbed Summit and Sierra, for the Energy Department that will be more powerful than China’s Tianhe-2 machine. However, those supercomputers won’t be ready until 2017.

Additionally, President Obama signed an executive order in July calling for the U.S. to create the world’s most powerful supercomputer under the National Strategic Computing Initiative. The Energy Department, Defense Department, and the National Science Foundation will lead the push. There’s no deadline for when the supercomputer will be complete, but initiative members are expected to give annual updates on their progress over the next five years.

As far as the top vendors in the top 500 list, the authors said that Hewlett Packard (Now, Hewlett Packard Enterprise) (HPE) is the leader with 156 supercomputers. Supercomputer maker Cray followed with 69 machines and IBM with 45.

Subscribe to Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the business of technology.

For more on supercomputing, check out the following Fortune video:

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Perceptic cofounders Tilman Flock (left), Zaki Trache (center), and Martin Copes.
AIPharmaceutical Industry
Exclusive: Perceptic, a startup automating drug discovery end-to-end for Big Pharma, emerges from stealth with $12 million in seed funding
By Jeremy KahnMay 26, 2026
17 minutes ago
eric ries
CommentaryBook Excerpt
I wrote the playbook that built Big Tech. I misjudged what would happen next
By Eric RiesMay 26, 2026
47 minutes ago
Ryan Breslow, Bolt CEO, chats with Fortune's Kristin Stoller, editorial director, at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit.
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
A CEO fired all of HR. The EEOC is suing the NYT. Both defended it onstage
By Kristin StollerMay 26, 2026
51 minutes ago
j
C-Suiteprivate equity
‘Excited and terrified’: One of private equity’s top investors built an AI that knows every deal he’s ever done
By Nick LichtenbergMay 26, 2026
1 hour ago
florida
CommentaryFlorida
The next great American tech hub isn’t a city. It’s a corridor between New York and Miami
By Patrick Chun and Matt HigginsMay 26, 2026
2 hours ago
Ali Hussain (left) and Mike MacLennan (right) smile
AITerm Sheet
Exclusive: The next wave of AI drive-thrus is here—and a16z and Arc think it finally works
By Lily Mae LazarusMay 26, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire
Economy
The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire
By Nick LichtenbergMay 25, 2026
1 day ago
The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure
Travel & Leisure
The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure
By Catherina GioinoMay 25, 2026
1 day ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
5 days ago
Elon Musk's best friend could make more than $100 billion from SpaceX's IPO. His firm is also owed billions by SpaceX
Investing
Elon Musk's best friend could make more than $100 billion from SpaceX's IPO. His firm is also owed billions by SpaceX
By Eva RoytburgMay 25, 2026
1 day ago
A billionaire and an A-list actor found refuge in a 37-home Florida neighborhood with armed guards—proof that privacy is now the ultimate luxury
Real Estate
A billionaire and an A-list actor found refuge in a 37-home Florida neighborhood with armed guards—proof that privacy is now the ultimate luxury
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 25, 2026
1 day ago
Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
Lifestyle
Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
By Sasha RogelbergMay 24, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.