New-generation supercomputer unveiled

A new-generation domestically developed supercomputing system was unveiled on Wednesday in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The system, called Tianhe Xingyi, is expected to meet rising demand in the fields of high-performance computing, large model artificial intelligence training and big data analysis, according to the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou.

The system was unveiled during a supercomputing innovation and application conference in Guangzhou that attracted more than 400 representatives from scientific and technological institutions to discuss topics such as the integration of supercomputing, AI, big data and biochemicals.

The system, highly focused on applications, adopts domestically advanced computing architecture, high-performance multicore processors, high-speed interconnection networks and large-scale storage, the supercomputing center said.

The system has outperformed the Tianhe II, one of the fastest supercomputers in the world, in capabilities such as CPU computing, network, storage and application service, according to Lu Yutong, director of the supercomputing center at Sun Yat-sen University.

The Tianhe II supercomputer, launched early in 2013 at the Guangzhou-headquartered supercomputing center, has provided application services for more than 300,000 users across the country.

"It will provide strong high-end computing support for cutting-edge scientific and technological breakthroughs, strategic engineering construction, and industrial upgrading and transformation," said Lu.

The system will enhance Guangzhou's core scientific and technological innovation capabilities, according to Lu.

The director said the supercomputing center has established 15 subbranches across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and formed a supercomputing alliance over the past few years.

Construction of a supercomputing application network in the GBA was also launched on Wednesday to promote the integration of computing power, aggregate computing resources, and high-speed network and supercomputing application resources.

The application network is a project between the Guangzhou-based supercomputing center and 14 other scientific and technological institutions in the GBA, including the Fok Ying Tung Research Institute of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Macao Chinese Innovation and Technology Development Promotion Association.

The network will create a national-level scientific and technological innovation platform, supporting the national computing network construction strategy and providing high-quality computing power and network services for the high-quality development of Guangdong and the GBA.