The benefits of better computing would extend to many fields, from aerospace and medicine to weather research and finance.
Drug discovery, for instance, requires the ability to quickly test thousands of possible molecules for use against a specific disease or condition. By linking supercomputers, researchers can simulate the interactions of each drug candidate more efficiently and accurately.
And with the rapid growth of data analysis and artificial intelligence, there is a need for even greater computing power.
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To build the network, scientists must overcome many technical problems to connect computing centres far away from each other, allowing them to collaborate and share resources.
Attendees discussed issues related to the unequal distribution of resources, differing technology standards, and challenges in developing and promoting new software.
China has experienced steady growth in computing power in recent years.
China accounted for 162 entries on the November 2022 edition of Top500, a German ranking of the world’s 500 fastest systems, even though the country stopped submitting performance data for its top supercomputers in June. The US had 126 machines on last year’s Top500 list.
Li Guojie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at the meeting that China’s supercomputers were among the best in the world but still lagged behind in their industrial applications compared with those of other countries.
To make up for that, China should build an efficient supercomputer internet so companies and researchers can easily access supercomputing services, he added.
“The idea behind the supercomputer internet is similar to the electrical grid, which combines different sources of electricity to provide power for various users,” wrote Yang Guangwen, director of the National Supercomputing Wuxi Center, in a Communist Party journal in January.
According to Yang, there are many challenges in technology, talent and the industrial environment that must be overcome to create the supercomputer internet, including building high-speed internet networks and an operation platform.
Leading Chinese tech company Huawei is already involved in a similar project focused on “intensive computing” in the eastern city of Jinan.
Zhao Shuncun, Huawei’s chief supercomputing architect, said in July that the supercomputer internet would require integration of different operating platforms, and Huawei was well positioned to design systems to do that.
By the end of 2025, the initiative aims to have a well-rounded system in place to support innovation, engineering breakthroughs, economic growth and improvements in daily life.
