K computer: 8.162 PetaFLOPS massively parallel scalar supercomputer built with over 548k cores

Abstract

Many high-performance CPUs employ a multicore architecture with a moderate clock frequency and wide instruction issue, including SIMD extensions, to achieve high performance while retaining a practical power consumption. As demand for supercomputer performance grows faster than the rate that improvements are made to CPU performance, the total number of cores of high-end supercomputers has increased tremendously. Efficient handling of large numbers of cores is a key aspect in the design of supercomputers. Building a supercomputer with lower power consumption and significant reliability is also important from the viewpoints of cost and availability.