Japan is building the fastest supercomputer ever made

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of Vision Japan, a series about the visionaries who are changing Japan, and the places that inspire this innovation. See more here.

Japan is building the world’s fastest supercomputer, which it hopes will make the country the new global hub for artificial intelligence research.

The supercomputer is expected to run at a speed of 130 petaflops, meaning it is able to perform a mind-boggling 130 quadrillion calculations per second (that’s 130 million billion).

Once complete (the target date is April 2018), the AI Bridging Cloud Infrastructure (ABCI) will be the most powerful supercomputer in the world, surpassing the current champion, China’s Sunway TaihuLight, currently operating at 93 petaflops.

What makes a computer ‘super’?

While the ABCI will not have a mouse or screen, it’s not vastly different from a personal computer – just souped-up, a whole lot faster, and much, much bigger.

“The current supercomputer system is one million times faster than your personal computers,” explains Satoshi Sekiguchi, a director general at Japan’s ?National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

Sekiguchi calculates that it would take 3,000 years for a personal computer to achieve what a supercomputer can do in just one day.

In terms of size, Japan’s supercomputer will be comparable to a parking lot with space for 30 to 40 cars.

“The supercomputer that is currently under development would take up about 1,000 square meters of floor space,” says Sekiguchi.

What will it be used for?

The ABCI could help Japanese companies develop and improve driverless cars, robotics and medical diagnostics, explains Sekiguchi.

“A supercomputer is an extremely important tool for accelerating the advancement in such fields,” he says.

Its supersonic speed will also help Japan develop advances in artificial intelligence technologies, such as “deep learning.”

But supercomputers are to thank for smaller everyday inventions too.

“The initial design of paper diapers was actually done using a supercomputer,” explains Sekiguchi. “However, mothers continue to use them without knowing that fact.”

Sunway-TaihuLight —

Chinese supercomputer Sunway-TaihuLight is currently the fastest supercomputer in the world, operating at 93 petaflops. That means it's able to perform 93 quadrillion (million billion) calculations per second.

China uses the supercomputer for weather forecasting, pharmaceutical research, and industrial design.

K Computer —

Fujitsu's K Computer, housed at the RIKEN institute in Japan, clocks in at 10 petaflops. It was the fastest in the world from June to November 2011.

The supercomputer draws almost 10 megawatts of power — about the same as 10,000 suburban homes.

IBM Roadrunner —

The $130-million IBM Roadrunner was the first computer to break the petaflop barrier in 2008.

Operating at around 1 petaflop (performing 1 million billion calculations per second), the IBM Roadrunner was the fastest supercomputer in the world from June 2008 to June 2009.

ASCI Red —

This US-built supercomputer was the first to break the 1 teraflop barrier (performing 1 trillion calculations per second). It was the fastest supercomputer in the world from 1997 to 2000, and also the first supercomputer installation to use more than 1 megawatt of power.

Pictured here, VP Rick Stulen and Intel designer Stephen Wheat look at the innards of an ASCI Red rack.

Cray 2 —

The Cray-2 was the world's fastest computer between 1985 and 1989, capable of 1.9 gigaflops. This was the first supercomputer to break the gigaflop barrier (1 billion calculations per second).

CDC6600 —

The world's very first supercomputer, the Control Data Corporation (CDC) 6600, only had a single CPU.

Released in 1964, the CDC 6600 achieved a peak performance of 3 million floating point operations per second (3 megaflops).

Supercomputers breaking barriers

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$173m key to the future

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will spend 19.5 billion yen ($173m) to build the ABCI and two research centers.

High-tech aquarium —

It may look like sci-fi, but in Japan, this is reality. Often Japanese technology offers a glimpse into the future, and in the futuristic world of Japanese tech, just about anything is possible.

At this aquarium in Tokyo -- the EPSON Aqua Park Shinagawa -- touch panel exhibits, neon lights and audiovisual displays transform the encounter with sea creatures into a psychedelic, multi-sensory experience.

Hydrogen cars —

Currently, only three auto manufacturers in the world sell hydrogen-powered cars -- and they're all Japanese. In 2016 Honda launched the world's first commercially available hydrogen powered car -- called Clarity -- for the Japanese market.

Futuristic cemetery —

A Buddhist burial building in downtown Tokyo houses over 2,000 neon glass Buddha statues. Each statue corresponds to a drawer containing the cremated remains of the deceased.

When a visitor enters the building they swipe an electronic pass card, which makes a single Buddha glow a different color, guiding the visitor to their loved one's statue.

Bullet train —

Looking like something out of Star Wars, Japan's high-speed bullet trains run on the Shinkansen network, which stretches across 2,740 km. They can hit speeds of 320 km/h.

Maglev train —

Even faster is Japan's maglev train. In 2015 it hit 603 km/h on an experimental track -- a new world record. Maglev trains use magnets to float above the tracks and move forward. However, Japan's won't actually open to passengers for another decade.

Smart toilets —

High-tech toilets in Japan can check your blood pressure, urine, protein, weight and body fat. That's over and above offering the standard front and rear spray features.

All of these options can be found on the control panel of the "Intelligence toilet," pictured, designed by Japan's largest toilet maker, Toto.

Smart Mirror —

Not your ordinary looking glass -- this mirror detects wrinkles, redness, pores and sun damage, and offers a range of suitable products to address them.

This Panasonic device also lets you virtually try out a variety of makeup looks -- and mustaches -- in the mirror. You can event print out the makeup, set on a sheet like a temporary tattoo, from a 3-D printer and stick it on your face.

The Smart Mirror debuted in October 2016 at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies in Japan.

Dementia tagging —

In order to keep track of senior citizens with dementia, Iruma, a Japanese city north of Tokyo, has tagged tagged the fingers and toes of the elderly with scannable barcodes.

Each nail sticker carries a unique identity number to help families find loved ones who are prone to getting lost.

Winter light shows —

Many countries have winter fairs. Many countries have light shows. But they don't look like this. Huge light shows have become a winter institution in Japan and the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki has particularly eye-catching illuminations, featuring millions of light bulbs ...

Winter light shows —

... it even has a neon boat that sails over Technicolor water.

Future fashion —

Walk down the street in Tokyo's Akihabara district and you may spot people dressed like it's the 22nd century, decked out as future retro sci-fi steam punks. And also maids.

Kirobo Mini —

Japan is the home of robotics, and there more than anywhere else, robots have found a place in society.

Toyota's Kirobo Mini companion robot is small enough to be carried around or sit in a car's cup holder. It is able to strike up a conversation encourages safe driving by saying "Oops" when the driver brakes suddenly.

Robot Hotel —

In Japan, robots turn up in unexpected places. At the five-star Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki Prefecture, humanoid robots greet Japanese-speaking guests at reception, while English-speaking guests are met by a robotic dinosaur. Naturally.

Droids cart luggage to the hotel's 72 rooms and clean up after you.

Robot front of house —

Humanoid robot Pepper has taken over from human front of house staff at Hamazushi, a chain of sushi restaurants in Japan. Pepper handles your seating, escorts you to your table and lets you order from a touch screen menu on its chest.

Robot Restaurant —

But the robots at Tokyo's famous "Robot Restaurant" aren't quite what they seem. Here, dancers in robot suits stage mock battles. Performances have included fembots with Thor hammers, dinosaurs battling robots and a giant neon tank.

Dancing holograms —

At Tokyo's Madame Tussauds wax museum, a special exhibit allows visitors, or rather, their holograms, to dance with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Marilyn Monroe or Beyoncé. Visitors get a 3D face scan, which is transposed onto a hologram dancer for the 90-second dance performance.

Vending machines —

Vending machines aren't uniquely Japanese -- but Japan's vending machines are definitely unique. From draft beer to batteries, bras to fishing bait, just about anything can be found in them.

A growing number of restaurants use vending machines as ordering systems. Customers can browse through photos of the meals on offer before making a selection, paying at the machine, taking a ticket and choosing a seat.

Three-wheeled vehicles —

The Toyota i-Road is a three-wheeled, two-seat (driver and passenger sit in tandem) electric "personal mobility vehicle."

The little car has a 37-mile range and is able to squeeze into tiny parking slots and weave through traffic, while reducing congestion and carbon emissions. Test drive pilots at the Toyota Tokyo Design Research Laboratory are in the process of trying out the technology.

Orphe smart shoes —

Wearable tech is big in Japan -- these smart shoes incorporate 100 LED lights and smart motion sensors in sneaker soles so the wearer can create patterns just by moving their feet. The idea is to give dancers and performers another level of artistic expression.

Archelis wearable chair —

The Archelis chair is a wearable seat specially designed to provide surgeons with support during long surgeries. The chair wraps around the legs and buttocks and is designed to support pressure points in the back, feet and legs without limiting range of motion.

Transparent TV —

As well as the technology already on the market, Japan has a bunch of game-changing innovations waiting for commercial release.
At the flick of a switch, Panasonic's OLED television turns into a transparent pane of glass. The OLED display doesn't need a backlight to give it a picture as each pixel lights itself .

Transparent TV —

... and the TV can serve as a glass pane of a cabinet. You can slide it to access the shelves behind it, or adjust the height of the display.
The transparent television was first unveiled in Japan at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2016.

Artificial meteor showers —

Japanese space start-up ALE is getting ready to deploy a satellite into orbit, which will enable the company to paint the sky with artificial meteors.

Still undergoing research and development, the company plans to launch its first meteor show in 2018.

Bendy batteries —

In the future this bendable lithium ion battery could be used in smart clothing, watches and fitness bands. It can bend and twist up to 25 degrees without damaging the battery.

Unveiled at Japanese technology fair Ceatec in 2016, Panasonic's bendable battery could further provide scope for curved designs and foldable smartphones.

Concept-i —

Unveiled at tech show CES 2017, Toyota's super intelligent car will be tested on the streets of Japan in the next few years. While the car has autonomous driving features, it still needs a human in the driving seat. Its built-in artificial intelligence is designed to grow with the driver.

The front of the vehicle displays whether the Concept-i is in automated or manual drive. The rear of the vehicle shows messages to let trailing cars know about upcoming turns ...

Concept-i —

... The doors are made almost entirely of glass to give passengers a better view of the road beneath them. The rear wheels are built into the car's sleek white frame.

How Japan is living in the future

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“They [the government] recognize that artificial intelligence will be a key to the future, or the key to the competitiveness of the industry,” says Sekiguchi.

Japanese firms often turn to the likes of Amazon, Microsoft and Google when looking to crunch big numbers. But once it’s running, Japanese researchers and companies will be able to pay to use the ABCI, rather than renting cycles on public clouds like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure.

Race to the top?

Japan’s K computer, which runs at just over 10 petaflops, claimed the title of world’s fastest supercomputer for six months in 2011, before it was outperformed by the United States and China.

The K computer is named after the Japanese word "kei", which stands for 10 quadrillion.

But for Sekiguchi, it is not about the race to build the fastest supercomputer.

“Before, there was a competition in the computer industry itself, however, from now on, it is going to be more about what you can do with the computers,” he said.

“It is no longer about which computer becomes the best in the world, but rather, creating an environment in which these new applications can be used properly.”