IBM Has Built Fastest Computer, U.S. Says

IBM has developed the world’s fastest computer, capable of performing 3.9 trillion operations a second and simulating a nuclear bomb test, government officials said Tuesday. The development was to be announced today at the White House. The new supercomputer, dubbed Pacific Blue and built for the Energy Department, will enable scientists to maintain the reliability of atomic weapons stockpiles without having to conduct nuclear tests, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The new computer runs 15,000 times faster and has 80,000 times more memory than the average desktop PC, the officials said. The primary mission of the supercomputer is to ensure the safety, security and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile using simulations and faster calculations, they said. But it also might be used in other areas, such as helping predict climate changes. Shares of Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM closed at $144.38, up $1.31, on the New York Stock Exchange.