Faster still

IBM has unveiled the world's fastest computer - three times faster than the recorded speed of any other computer - capable of 12 trillion calculations a second.

"ASCI White" covers an area bigger than three tennis courts and will be used to simulate nuclear testing for the United States Department of Energy.

The computer will be used to develop complex 3D models for use in simulations that will be crucial to ensuring the safety and reliability of the nation's nuclear stockpile during the moratorium on nuclear testing.

The power of ASCI White is such that if it were used as a web server, it could process an online transaction from every person on the planet in just one minute. It is 1,000 times more powerful than Deep Blue - the supercomputer that defeated chess champion Gary Kasparov several years ago.

Details: www.ibm.com