Computers are crunching more numbers than ever to crack the most complex problems of our time - how to cure diseases like COVID and cancer, mitigate climate change and more.
These and other grand challenges ushered computing into today's exascale era when top performance is often measured in exaflops.
So, What's an Exaflop? An exaflop is a measure of performance for a supercomputer that can calculate at least 1018 or one quintillion floating point operations per second.
In exaflop, the exa- prefix means a quintillion, that's a billion billion, or one followed by 18 zeros. Similarly, an exabyte is a memory subsystem packing a quintillion bytes of data.
The flop in exaflop is an abbreviation for floating point operations. The rate at which a system executes a flop in seconds is measured in exaflop/s.
Floating point refers to calculations made where all the numbers are expressed with decimal points.
1,000 Petaflops = an Exaflop The prefix peta- means 1015, or one with 15 zeros behind it. So, an exaflop is a thousand petaflops.
To get a sense of what a heady calculation an exaflop is, imagine a billion people, each holding a billion calculators. (Clearly, they've got big hands!)
If they all hit the equal sign at the same time, they'd execute one exaflop.
Indiana University, home to the Big Red 200 and several other supercomputers, puts it this way: To match what an exaflop computer can do in just one second, you'd have to perform one calculation every second for 31,688,765,000 years.
A Brief History of the Exaflop For most of supercomputing's history, a flop was a flop, a reality that's morphing as workloads embrace AI.
People used numbers expressed in the highest of several precision formats, called double precision, as defined by the IEEE Standard for Floating Point Arithmetic. It's dubbed double precision, or FP64, because each number in a calculation requires 64 bits, data nuggets expressed as a zero or one. By contrast, single precision uses 32 bits.
Double precision uses those 64 bits to ensure each number is accurate to a tiny fraction. It's like saying 1.0001 + 1.0001 = 2.0002, instead of 1 + 1 = 2.
The format is a great fit for what made up the bulk of the workloads at the time - simulations of everything, from atoms to airplanes, that need to ensure their results come close to what they represent in the real world.
So, it was natural that the LINPACK benchmark, aka HPL, that measures performance on FP64 math became the default measurement in 1993, when the TOP500 list of world's most powerful supercomputers debuted.
The Big Bang of AI A decade ago, the computing industry heard what NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang describes as the big bang of AI.
This powerful new form of computing started showing significant results on scientific and business applications. And it takes advantage of some very different mathematical methods.
Deep learning is not about simulating real-world objects; it's about sifting through mountains of data to find patterns that enable fresh insights.
Its math demands high throughput, so doing many, many calculations with simplified numbers (like 1.01 instead of 1.0001) is much better than doing fewer calculations with more complex ones.
That's why AI uses lower precision formats like FP32, FP16 and FP8. Their 32-, 16- and 8-bit numbers let users do more calculations faster.
Mixed Precision Evolves For AI, using 64-bit numbers would be like taking your whole closet when going away for the weekend.
Finding the ideal lower-precision technique for AI is an active area of research.
For example, the first NVIDIA Tensor Core GPU, Volta, used mixed precision. It executed matrix multiplication in FP16, then accumulated the results in FP32 for higher accuracy.
Hopper Accelerates With FP8 More recently, the NVIDIA Hopper architecture debuted with a lower-precision method for training AI that's even faster. The Hopper Transformer Engine automatically analyzes a workload, adopts FP8 whenever possible and accumulates results in FP32.
When it comes to the less compute-intensive job of inference - running AI models in production - major frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch support 8-bit integer numbers for fast performance. That's because they don't need decimal points to do their work.
The good news is NVIDIA GPUs support all precision formats (above), so users can accelerate every workload optimally.
Last year, the IEEE P3109 committee started work on an industry standard for precision formats used in machine learning. This work could take another year or two.
Some Sims Shine at Lower Precision While FP64 remains popular for simulations, many use lower-precision math when it delivers useful results faster.
HPC apps vary in the factors that impact their performance. For example, researchers run in FP32 a popular simulator for car crashes, LS-Dyna from Ansys. Genomics is another field that tends to prefer lower-precision math.
In addition, many traditional simulations are starting to adopt AI for at least part of their workflows. As workloads shift towards AI, supercomputers need to support lower precision to run these emerging applications well.
Benchmarks Evolve With Workloads Recognizing these changes, researchers including Jack Dongarra - the 2021 Turing award winner and a contributor to HPL - debuted HPL-AI in 2019. It's a new benchmark that's better for measuring these new workloads.
Mixed-precision techniques have become increasingly important to improve the computing efficiency of supercomputers, both for traditional simulations with iterative refinement techniques as well as for AI applications, Dongarra said in a 2019 blog. Just as HPL allows benchmarking of double-precision capabilities, this new approach based on HPL allows benchmarking of mixed-precision capabilit
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
22/10/2025
Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide By SVG Staff
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:06 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story ...
22/10/2025
NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REM...
22/10/2025
FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production...
22/10/2025
Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Vide...
22/10/2025
Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ba...
22/10/2025
In 1995, a young Colombian artist released an album that would change Latin pop ...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
October 22nd, 2025 TRIBECA ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF MEMBERSHIP EVENTS F...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
21/10/2025
RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...
21/10/2025
Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...
21/10/2025
Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...
21/10/2025
Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...
21/10/2025
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...
Computers are crunching more numbers than ever to crack the most complex problems of our time - how to cure diseases like COVID and cancer, mitigate climate change and more.
