Army buys IBM supercomputer

Army officials bought an IBM Corp. supercomputer with a Linux cluster for the Army Research Laboratory Major Shared Resource Center.

The computer will feature 2,304 individual processors in a cluster and will run the Linux operating system, according to IBM officials. The new system is part of a Defense Department initiative to modernize the high-performance computer capabilities of defense agencies.

The system will be capable of performing up to 10 trillion operations per second and will have 10 terabytes of memory, IBM officials said.

"This increase in computing capability will give DOD scientists and engineers the ability to solve complex, mission-critical physics problems in a timeframe that can provide the data necessary to better assist our staff in solving some of our nation's most complex defense challenges and solutions," Charles Nietubicz, director of the Major Shared Resource Center, wrote in a statement.

"It is now more important than ever that the DOD is equipped with the most sophisticated and agile systems," said Dave Turek, vice president of deep computing for IBM.

The resource center, established in 1996, supports DOD research and development activities, along with science and testing support.