Japan Announces Plans to Build Zeta-Class Supercomputer, Said to Be 1,000 Times Faster Than Today’s Machines

Japan has announced plans to start constructing the world's first "zeta-class" supercomputer in 2025. Expected to be 1,000 times faster than today's leading supercomputers, the project is set to cost more than $750 million and be operational by 2030. The supercomputer will help Japan stay competitive in artificial intelligence (AI) advancements and scientific research. This ambitious project was revealed by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on 28th August 2023.

Power of ZetaFLOPS

The supercomputer will operate at speeds on a zetaFLOPS scale, a computational milestone yet to be achieved. One zetaFLOP equals one sextillion floating-point operations per second, which far surpasses the current record set by the US Frontier supercomputer, running at 1.2 exaFLOPS. In comparison, Japan's Fugaku, which once held the title of the fastest supercomputer, operates at only 0.44 exaFLOPS and is currently ranked fourth globally.

Fugaku's Successor

The new supercomputer, tentatively called "Fugaku Next," will be built by RIKEN and Fujitsu, the same companies responsible for the development of Fugaku, MEXT announced. Engineers are expected to use Fujitsu-designed components to ensure cross-compatibility with its predecessor. However, technical specifics about the upcoming machine are still limited.

Challenges and Funding

One significant challenge will be optimising energy consumption. Current supercomputing technology would require the energy output of 21 nuclear power plants to run a zeta-class machine. MEXT has allocated JPY 4.2 billion (roughly Rs. 246.9 crores) for the first year of development, with a potential total investment of JPY 110 billion (roughly Rs. 6468.6 crores) by 2030, according to a Tom's Hardware report.

If completed as planned, Fugaku Next will likely hold the title of the most powerful supercomputer on Earth.