Let’s just let that number sink in, shall we?
380. Petabytes.
The weird thing is that the supercomputer that’s getting it, called Deep Thought Cray XK6, isn’t getting it in the form of an SSD or anything like that.
Nope, it’s getting it in the form of… magnetic tape!
25 Petabytes of it WILL be disk based, yes, but it’s all part of a complex storage system. The disk part will be used for instant access, with the tape section serving as “nearline” storage. You know, something between an archive and online solution. Duh.
It’s actually going to take a few years to completely install it all, but once it does, watch out: the crazy huge tasks will finally be able to run. Like, understanding how the cosmos evolved after the Big Bang and designing new materials at the atomic level.
Plus we’ll finally find out the answer to it all is 42…but we’ll end up needing a bigger computer to figure out the question itself.
Don’t forget your towel! Ha!
[Image via AP Images.]
