Supercomputer contest: The results

NEC has beaten IBM in the battle to build the world's most powerful computer.

Twice a year, in June and November, the supercomputer community compiles a list of the world's 500 most formidable computers.

Last November IBM held the number one spot with its ASCI White machine. But much to the disappointment of Big Blue, NEC has today stolen the top spot with its more powerful 'Earth-Simulator'.

The Earth-Simulator is used at the Earth Simulator centre in Yokohama, Japan. The project aims to create a 'virtual earth' to show what the world will look like in the future.

Taking the third and fourth place slots is HP with its Alpha Server supercomputers. Following HP's bumpy acquisition of Compaq, it now has more supercomputers listed in the top 500 than any other company. A total of 168 systems hail from the HP camp compared with IBM's 164.

Only two HP Superdomes made it into the top 100.

Usually the domain of the scientific and research world, supercomputers have the power to compute vast amounts of data.

But supercomputers have found a life outside of the research lab walls. IBM has just sold one of its Blue Ocean supercomputers to the Naval Oceanographic Office to help with research into finding a vaccine for malaria.

View the list in full, here: http://www.top500.org/~erich/top0206.html