Japan is gearing up to construct a revolutionary supercomputer that is poised to outpace today’s most advanced machines by an astonishing 1,000 times.
This cutting-edge “zeta-class” supercomputer, known as “Fugaku Next,” is expected to cost over $750 million and is projected to be operational by 2030. The initiative marks a significant leap forward in computational power, promising to redefine the boundaries of scientific research and artificial intelligence.
The development of Fugaku Next will be spearheaded by the Japanese research institute RIKEN in collaboration with technology giant Fujitsu. The project is set to commence in 2025, with the supercomputer intended to succeed Japan’s current supercomputer, Fugaku.
Fugaku, once the world’s fastest supercomputer, was surpassed in 2022 by the United States Frontier. Currently ranked fourth globally, it operates at a speed of 0.44 exaFLOPS, meaning it can perform 0.44 quintillion calculations per second.
The upcoming Zeta-class supercomputer is expected to achieve an unprecedented speed of 1 petaflop and perform one sextillion calculations per second. This leap from exaFLOPS to zetaFLOPS represents a monumental milestone in computational capacity.
The potential applications of such immense computing power underscore the significance of this development. “FLOPS,” or floating-point operations per second, is the standard metric for measuring a computer’s ability to solve complex problems.
A petaflops scale would mark a historic achievement, unlocking new possibilities in AI development, climate modeling, drug discovery, and many other fields requiring massive computational resources.
The Japanese government is fully backing this initiative through its Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), which has already allocated an initial budget of 4.2 billion yen ($29 million) for the project. The total investment could reach as high as 110 billion yen ($761 million), reflecting the scale and ambition of the project. However, this massive undertaking is not without its challenges.
One of the most significant concerns is the energy consumption required to power such a supercomputer. Experts have warned that using current technologies, Fugaku Next could demand as much energy as 21 nuclear power plants, raising questions about its sustainability and environmental impact.
Despite these challenges, Japan is pressing forward with the project, aiming to solidify its position as a global leader in scientific research and AI-driven innovation. If successful, Fugaku Next will not only become the world’s most powerful supercomputer. Still, it will also position Japan at the forefront of the next generation of technological advancements, driving the capabilities of computational science globally.
