“The Army Research and Development Command will use a giant cluster of Apple Computer Inc.’s G5 servers [Xserves] to build one of the fastest supercomputers in the world to research the aerodynamics of hypersonic flight,” Brian Robinson reports for Federal Computer Week.

“The MACH 5 (Multiple Advanced Computers for Hypersonic research) supercomputer, announced earlier this week, will use 1,566 of the 64-bit dual-processor servers and is expected to top 25 teraflops per second when it comes online later this year. The fastest supercomputer in the world now is Japan’s Earth Simulator with a maximum performance of just less than 36 teraflops,” Robinson reports.

“MACH 5 will cost $5.8 million to construct, a fraction of the price purpose-built supercomputers bring. The Earth Simulator cost around $350 million. Apple won the Army contract after a competition among half a dozen companies based on such things as power requirements, cooling needs and floor space requirements, as well as performance,” Robinson reports.

Full article here.