The TOP500 Supercomputer Sites ranking shows the 500 most powerful commercially available computer systems. The main objective of this list is to provide a ranked list of general purpose systems that are in common use for high end applications, therefore of major interest to manufacturers, users, and potential users.
For the fifth consecutive time, “Tianhe-2” (which means Milky-Way-2), a supercomputer developed by China’s National University of Defense Technology, has retained its position as the world’s No. 1 system. “Piz Daint” (in reference to a mountain of the Ortler Alps), located at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano and operated by the ETHZ, is the leader in Europe since 2013 with a performance of 6,27 petaflop/s (quadrillions of calculations per second) on the Linpack benchmark; the best current tool to assess such a dense system of linear equations. The machine develops an impressive power of 2,325 kilowatts.
Such a ranking enhances Switzerland’s excellent worldwide reputation in ICT. For more information, please refer to the Handbook for Investors (Innovation and Technology).
