China is now number 1 in supercomputer

I just can't believe this could happen to the US where they owned and invented the technologies. But it is a reality, China is now called the super power in supercomputer. China has usurped the supercomputer crown from the United States. It may seem like just a day in the life--just another former glory of the United States falling to a rival nation. But, in the post-Cold War, Internet-era, this particular claim to fame comes with crucial bragging rights that can define the nation.

China's Tianhe-1A supercomputer, located in Tianjin at the National Supercomputer Center, is the new leader, though, with performance measured at 2.57 petaflops per second. The Chinese supercomputer is nearly 50 percent faster than the Cray, and another Chinese supercomputer--the Nebulae--holds the number three spot.

The United States still owns 275 of the top 500 supercomputers in the world, but that number has dwindled slightly--falling from 282 just since June of this year. The United States is not sitting idly by and watching its dominance of the supercomputer arms race trickle away, though.

In fact, the United States isn't just planning on retaking the supercomputer crown from China with some meager 50 percent gain in performance. The United States is developing two supercomputer systems reported to be theoretically capable of 20 petflop performance. That is an increase in performance almost 1000 times greater than the Chinese Tianhe-1A.