supercomputer

American  

[soo-per-kuhm-pyoo-ter, soo-per-kuhm-pyoo-ter] / ˈsu pər kəmˌpyu tər, ˌsu pər kəmˈpyu tər /

noun

1. a very fast, powerful mainframe computer, used in advanced military and scientific applications.

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supercomputer British  

/ ˌsuːpəkəmˈpjuːtə /

noun

1. a powerful computer that can process large quantities of data of a similar type very quickly

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Other Word Forms

• supercomputing noun

Etymology

Origin of supercomputer

super- + computer

Compare meaning

How does supercomputer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• mainframe vs. supercomputer

Example Sentences

Even the fastest supercomputers struggle with certain complex tasks, such as discovering new medicines or breaking advanced encryption.

From Science Daily

The effort relies on a supercomputer in Wyoming that can do nearly 20 quadrillion calculations a second using 328 Nvidia chips.

From The Wall Street Journal

The advance could help open the door to the first neuromorphic supercomputer, offering a new path toward energy efficient computing for national security and other critical applications.

From Science Daily

Even with access to a supercomputer, running simulations across such vast timescales requires immense computational effort.

From Science Daily

Scientists estimate that quantum computers will need millions of qubits to outperform today's most powerful supercomputers.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• disk drive
• hardware
• modem
• personal computer