Japan’s K Supercomputer Shut Down

September 1, 2019

Kobe- The K supercomputer of Japanese government-affiliated research institute Riken was shut down on Friday, drawing to a close the seven-year history of the former world leader in computing speed and data-processing ability.

The K will be succeeded by Fugaku, which will be about 100 times more powerful than its predecessor.

Some 180 people attended a shut-down ceremony held at Riken's Center for Computational Science in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, where the K is located.

"There is a tinge of sadness over the K's removal, but we want to put our best efforts into building the Fugaku," Riken President Hiroshi Matsumoto said. Matsumoto and other executives turned the supercomputer off around 3:30 p.m. (6:30 a.m. GMT).

The K was made available for use in 2012, and about 10,000 domestic and foreign researchers have utilized the supercomputer for purposes such as drug development and disaster prevention.

Work to removal the K will begin in September, and the Fugaku will be built on the same site. Jiji Press