A supercomputer in the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

With a processing speed of 91.29 teraflops, the system is expected to be one of the top three supercomputers in the world. BGW comprises 20 refrigerator-sized racks, less than half the size of conventional systems of comparable power, and has three times the performance.

Powerful machines like BGW will "help to really accelerate discoveries in science and engineering," predicts Tilak Agerwala, a vice-president at IBM Research. With its blazing speed, he adds, researchers and engineers "can now ask more questions, test more theories, try more designs, and simulate more conditions than has been possible before."

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[press release]