South Africa’s Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) has unveiled Africa’s first-ever high-speed computer, with a processing speed of a thousand trillion floating-point operations per second.
The supercomputer, Lengau System, was launched on Tuesday this week in Cape Town, South Africa and is expected to contribute significantly to Africa’s economic growth.
“High performance computing and advanced data technologies are powerful tools in enhancing the competitiveness of regions and nations,” the firm’s Deputy Director General Dr. Thomas Auf der Heyde said at the launch.
South Africa’s Minister for Science and Technology Naledi Pandor commended CHPC for their continued success in production of high-performance devices that are instrumental in supporting the nation’s data-intense scientific research programs.
What to Expect from Lengau System
Dell, a partner in the project, said the new computer will give access and open doors to help drive new research, new innovations and new national economic benefits.
The firm expects the computer to provide scientists with reliable tools to carry out their research faster, without having to travel abroad for high-speed computing access.
By removing capacity constraints, researchers hope the Lengau System will ultimately improve the quality of their work. Users are also set to enjoy improved performance of large-scale simulations, opening them to new avenues of research and performance.
According to CHPC, the high-speed computer’s enhanced capacity will enable the organization to significantly build its private sector user base, thereby boosting national economic development.
Successful Trials
CHPC says the new computer has already been adopted by major organizations in South Africa including Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), University of Cape Town, University of Limpopo and South Africa’s SKA office.
According to Mary Jane Bopape, a researcher at CSIR, the new Lengau System has reduced research time on climate modeling from three hours to only 30 minutes.
