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The University of Canterbury's new IBM Blue Gene supercomputer is not yet operational, but already it is being officially recognised as one of the 100 most powerful supercomputers in the world.
The 29th edition of the prestigious Top 500 list has been released at the International Supercomputing Conference in Dresden, Germany.
UC's machine, which has been dubbed Blue Fern, is the only New Zealand listing. It is ranked the most powerful supercomputer in the Oceania region and is 99th overall worldwide. It is just six places behind the supercomputing facility at Harvard University in the United States.
It is one of the 40 most powerful supercomputers operated by academic institutions throughout the world.
UC vice-chancellor professor Roy Sharp said today the rankings provided a useful overview of supercomputing worldwide.
"To see Canterbury University in the same list as Cambridge University and Harvard University illustrates worldwide acknowledgement that supercomputing is a critical element of modern day research.
"As an outward-looking institution, which seeks to form partnerships with researchers and industry internationally, the Blue Gene is going to give us a distinct advantage."
UC is the first research institution in the Southern Hemisphere to have an IBM Blue Gene supercomputer. It is expected to be operational by the end of July.
- NZPA
