China Unveils CPU-Only Exascale Supercomputer Project

Global AI Watch··3 min read·Tom's Hardware
China Unveils CPU-Only Exascale Supercomputer Project

Key Takeaways

  • 1China's Lingshen supercomputing project aims for 2 ExaFLOPS using 47,000 CPUs.
  • 2The design reduces foreign tech dependency in supercomputing.
  • 3This development targets national AI autonomy amidst global tech competition.

China's National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen has announced the Lingshen supercomputer project, which will utilize 47,000 homemade processors to achieve sustained performance above 2 ExaFLOPS without the use of foreign-made components. The system will be constructed with 92 compute cabinets and will build upon pilot verification phases using Huawei Kunpeng servers, ultimately scaling to a full production system with x86 CPUs and substantial storage capabilities. Unlike other exascale systems that rely on GPU accelerators, this CPU-only design is touted as a groundbreaking approach in supercomputing.

China Unveils CPU-Only Exascale Supercomputer Project | Global AI Watch | Global AI Watch