Japan and Architecture Independence

Japan and Architecture Independence

Abstract:
For a period of time, there was competition in the area of super computers with varied architectures, with standards based processors like SPARC leading other vendors. Most of the worlds modern super computers have been based upon American Intel based MPP platforms. Intel compatible CPU maker AMD started producing CPU's for supercomputers during recent years. There has also been an aggressive trend to move towards using graphical co-processor units. Most recently, nations have been trying to develop their own intellectual property.

Japan and CPU Architectures:
Japan has been moving towards computing independence by investing in their own implementation of SPARC processor.
[2011-06-20] Japan's Fujitsu creates fastest supercomputer at 8 Petaflops with SPARC64
[2011-11-02] Japan's Fujitsu tops its own fastest supercomputer with 10 Petaflop SPARC64
[2011-11-07] Japan's Fujitsu announces commercial supercomputer with 23 Petaflops SPARC64
[2011-11-21] Japan's Fujitsu 16 core SPARC64-IXfx Details Revealed *updated 11-22*

Conclusion:
It has long been concluded the Intel owned the Super Computer market, before vendors with GPU started to compete. With Japan's Fujitsu corporation, it is clear that the market is no longer going to be dominated by proprietary Intel architecture, but companies developing Open Architectures like SPARC will begin to compete again, as they did in the 1990's.