Fastest supercomputer in the world will be built in the US by 2021

The U.S. says it will have the world's fastest supercomputer ready in just two years. The U.S. Department of Energy says it has signed a contract with Cray Inc. and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to build a machine called Frontier, capable of computing at 1.5 exaflops -- a level 50 times faster than current supercomputers. The department says its endeavor, which entails a $600 million investment for the development of technology and systems, will help yield new advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. Frontier will take computers U.S. computers into the exascale, and will be as powerful as the next 160 fastest supercomputers combined'Frontier's record-breaking performance will ensure our country's ability to lead the world in science that improves the lives and economic prosperity of all Americans and the entire world,' said U.S. Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry. 'Frontier will accelerate innovation in AI by giving American researchers world-class data and computing resources to ensure the next great inventions are made in the United States.' According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Frontier, which will be housed at a laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will be able to exceed one quintillion calculations per second, as reported by The Verge -- that's as much processing power as the next 160 fastest supercomputer combined, said AMD.