The world's most powerful computer, capable of performing 10,000bn calculations per second, is being built by Chinese firm Downing Information Industry. Scheduled to be completed by March 2004, the supercomputer codenamed Shuguang4000A will be China's first 'cluster computer system'. It will cover an area equal to one-quarter of a football field and use chips supplied by the US firm AMD.
The fastest existing cluster computer is capable of calculating at a speed of 7,600bn bytes per second. Downing previously developed a 4,000bn bytes super-computer.