
Computing
All About Exascale Computing
By TechDogs Editorial Team

Overview
This had made it possible to do complex tasks and calculations from our smartphones and laptops. We mean, even the oldest smartphone that is currently operational has more computing power than the computer onboard Apollo 11! These quick innovations in computer technology have led us to Exascale Computing. It is a modern application of supercomputing that can support expansive workloads in convoluted, time-intensive applications such as live modeling, simulation, AI analytics, etc.
Read on to learn about the emerging technology called Exascale Computing!
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Although it sounds quite complex and scary, we’re here to simplify what Exascale Computing means. It refers to a new breed of computers that are capable of managing at least one exaflop floating point calculation per second. Still too complex?
Well, think of Exascale as the next milestone in computing. Exascale computing refers to systems that can perform at least "10¹⁸ operations per second" or one exaFLOP calculation per second. Yes, we know that sounds almost unrealistic but that’s Exascale Computing for you! A FLOP, or floating-point operation, is a measure of supercomputer performance based on how many operations it can perform in a second (duh!). An Exascale computer can perform at least 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 FLOPS in one second. Mind-blowing, right?
Your typical laptop is capable of performing a few teraFLOPS (that is a trillion operations per second or 10,000,000,000,000 operations per second). Although that’s a huge number, Exascale Computing is roughly still a million times faster!
If your head is spinning, take a few deep breaths and dive into the details of what Exascale Computing is, how it evolved, how it works and its future!
Understanding Exascale Computing
Exascale Computing is a method of high-performance computing. It can enable better data analytics, forecasting, predictions and significantly improve existing scientific applications. It will ensure greater precision in areas such as weather forecasting, climate modeling and personalized medicine. We mean, it does a million trillion operations each second!
Exascale Computing reaches the estimated neural processing power of the human brain, something no computing system has achieved before. Frontier, the first Exascale computer to be made publicly available, is hosted at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) in Tennessee, United States. It was announced in 2022 and is currently the fastest supercomputer in the world.
Although the breakthrough was very recent, efforts were being made for decades before – check it out below.
Evolution And Origins Of Exascale Computing
The first ever supercomputer was developed in 1964, which achieved an operating rate of 3,000,000 FLOPS (operations per second), or 3 megaFLOPS. Doesn’t sound so impressive, right? That is why constant efforts were made to scale up computing systems with higher FLOP rates.
The first petascale (1000 FLOPS) computer started operations in 2008. It was the peak for computing systems for a while. However, at a supercomputing conference in 2009, an IT publication called Computerworld introduced “Exascale Computing” and predicted it to be implemented by 2018. It was a tough ask and no Exascale Computing system was created by 2018. Naturally, many IT experts started questioning the possibility of creating Exascale systems. The new target for such a system was revised to 2020.
The distributed computing network Folding@home (FAH or F@h), a research project based at the University of Pennsylvania, became the first to break the exaFLOPS barrier in March 2020. On April 12, 2020, the computing network reached 2.43 exaFLOPs, making it the first Exascale Computing system in history. Researchers were able to run computationally expensive atomic-level simulations of protein folding for thousands of times longer than they had previously been able to. Since its debut on October 1, 2000, Folding@home's Exascale Computing network has contributed to the creation of 226 academic papers.
Later the same year, in June 2020, the Japanese supercomputer Fugaku achieved an operation of 1.42 exaFLOPS using the alternative HPL-AI benchmark. However, Fugaku was superseded as the fastest supercomputer in the world by Frontier in May 2022, a title it still holds.

After that interesting history behind the concept, let’s peek behind the curtain!
How Does Exascale Computing Work?
One of the methods used by scientists to measure computer performance speed is floating-point operations per second (FLOPS). These operations can be simple arithmetic, such as addition or multiplication, involving a decimal number. (That’s referred to as a “float” in computer circles and is what “floating point” stands for in FLOPs).
Here’s a quick test for you: what’s 5.5 + 4.5?

We’re sure you said 10 – since you solved the operation mentally in one second, you could be designated a speed of 1 FLOPs, or one floating-point operation per second. Most computers can solve these operations much, much faster and hence crack many operations in one second. This is why scientists use prefixes to talk about the speeds of computers – for example, one exaFLOPS is 10^18 floating-point operations per second. (Our head is spinning just imagining solving so many math problems!)
To perform such an incredible number of operations in one second, Exascale computers utilize a distributed infrastructure of high-end CPUs and GPUs. They handle data processing and analysis at a much higher rate than those used in smartphones and laptops. Exascale computers are managed by sophisticated digital systems along with some of the most powerful hardware in the world. It wouldn’t be wrong to think of Exascale computers as normal digital computers (such as today’s laptops) but with much, much more powerful hardware!
A question may arise here: do we even need such fast computing? Can’t we wait a few extra seconds
What’s The Importance Of Exascale Computing?
Exascale computers can assist in the quick analysis of enormous amounts of data as well as the realistic real-time simulation of many extremely complex processes. As a result, they play a significant role in industries that focus on complex simulations, real-time analytics and data modeling:
Medical And Pharmaceutical Industry
Massive data volumes, complex environmental models and genome studies will all benefit from Exascale Computing. It will hasten the determination of patient genetics, tumor genomes, molecular simulations and other data modeling, which can aid in the study of cancer. More lives may be saved as a result of data processing that is faster and more accurate.
Manufacturing Industry
By enabling quicker and more precise modeling and simulation of manufacturing components, Exascale Computing could hasten the adoption of additive manufacturing and other techniques. Emerging manufacturing startups will be transformed by this, giving them a competitive advantage in the industry.
Climate Change Research
Researchers have created a brand-new global atmosphere model as part of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) project. Because of the model's resolution, which is 30 times finer than that of current global climate models, scientists will be able to model and study the atmosphere in much greater detail. Exascale Computing will play a major role in the real-time data processing for such studies.
However, this is just the beginning – the journey of Exascale Computing will evolve. What do we mean by that?
What’s The Future Of Exascale Computing?

Exascale supercomputers will be at the forefront of computing. As there are only a handful of Exascale Computing systems in the world, the development of more projects is the focus at the moment. However, the fact that the expected date for Exascale Computing was missed by a few years shows the level of technical challenges involved. There needs to be innovation in both the hardware and software aspects. Another big challenge in the short term is to lower the energy consumption of such systems.
In the future, we expect processing to go from the “Exa” to the “Zetta” level. Zettascale computing refers to future computing systems capable of performing at least "10^21 operations per second" or zettaFLOPS. As of 2023, it is a hypothetical performance barrier since no computing systems even come close. Zettascale computers would be able to process more single floating-point data in a second than was digitally stored globally in the first quarter of 2011. Scary and cool, right?
Conclusion
Computing systems have been evolving since the 60s. Today, we have Exascale Computing, a network of computers that can perform at least 10^18 operations per second. These systems will help various industries such as medicine, automotive, manufacturing, etc. and many more that remain to be seen. We are excited to have such insane, mind-boggling technology, don’t you agree?
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Exascale Computing?
Exascale Computing refers to a new frontier in high-performance computing, where systems are capable of executing at least one exaflop floating point calculation per second. This translates to performing "10¹⁸ operations per second" or one exaFLOP calculation per second. In simpler terms, an Exascale computer can conduct at least 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 FLOPS in just one second. Despite its complexity, Exascale Computing represents the next significant milestone in computational power, offering capabilities far beyond those of traditional computing systems.
How Did Exascale Computing Evolve?
The concept of Exascale Computing emerged as a response to the increasing demand for computational power in various industries. Efforts to scale up computing systems date back to the development of the first supercomputer in 1964, which achieved a mere 3 megaFLOPS. Over the years, advancements led to the introduction of petascale computing in 2008. Exascale Computing was first proposed by Computerworld in 2009, with initial predictions suggesting implementation by 2018. However, technical challenges delayed its realization. The breakthrough finally occurred in 2020, with Folding@home becoming the first to break the exaFLOPS barrier, followed by the Japanese supercomputer Fugaku. Today, Exascale Computing represents the pinnacle of computational achievement, offering unparalleled processing power and potential.
What Are the Applications and Importance of Exascale Computing?
Exascale Computing holds immense significance across various industries, enabling rapid data analysis, complex simulations, and real-time analytics. In the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, it facilitates the study of patient genetics, tumor genomes, and molecular simulations, leading to advancements in cancer research and personalized medicine. In manufacturing, Exascale Computing accelerates modeling and simulation, driving innovation in additive manufacturing and enhancing competitiveness. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in climate change research, enabling detailed atmospheric modeling and analysis. As Exascale Computing continues to evolve, its applications are expected to expand, ushering in a new era of computational capabilities and possibilities.
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