| Astrophysics (Index) | About |
The term exascale computing is used for computing on the scale of exaFLOPs, i.e., a quintillion FLOPs, or 1018 floating point arithmetic operations performed per second, specifically the ability to dedicate such a capability to a single task, model, simulation, or calculation, useful in future scientific analysis as well as engineering efforts. The capability will make three dimensional models practical in more areas of scientific analysis, including core collapse supernova models and other astrophysical phenomena. Larger, technically-capable countries are hosting multi-year projects aimed at achieving the capability within the early 2020s. In 2022, one computer (Frontier) demonstrated the capability and as of November 2024, two additional computers are considered to have achiveid it.
The term zettascale computing is used for a computing thousand times the scale of exascale computing, i.e., computing on the scale of zettaFLOPs, i.e., a sextillion FLOPs, or 1021 floating point operations per second. This is the next goal, which is about 500 times the capacity of the "fastest" supercomputer as of November 2024. A prediction is that zettascale will be achieved in about 2035; with some ambitious efforts suggesting it might be achieved in 2030 or 2027.