supercomputer

The fastest type of computer. Supercomputers are expensive and are used for specialized applications that require an immense amount of mathematical calculations, such as weather forecasting, animated graphics, fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy research, and petroleum exploration.

The chief difference between a supercomputer and a mainframe is that a supercomputer channels all of its power into executing a few programs as fast as possible, whereas a mainframe uses its power to execute many programs concurrently.

Historical perspective: SGI SiliconGraphics, founded by Dr. James Clark in 1982 (who later co-founded the company who made Netscape Navigator) became a world leader in high-performance computing technology. The company's systems, ranging from desktop workstations and servers to the most powerful supercomputers in the world, delivered advanced computing and 3-D visualization capabilities to scientific, engineering, and creative professionals and to large enterprises. In the mid-2000s the company re-positioned itself as a supercomputer vendor, but by April 1, 2009, SGI filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and sold all of its assets to Rackable Systems which became Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.

Meanwhile by 2019, according to Axios.com, bitcoin mining accounts for 0.2 percent of the world’s total energy consumption and produces estimated annual emissions of between 22 and 23 megatons of CO2. Mining usually requires large, power-eating supercomputers that audit prior transactions and in return generate new bitcoin.