Fastest supercomputer

IBM's BlueGene/L has knocked NEC's Earth Simulator off its post as the fastest supercomputer in the world. The machine, under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, hit 70.72 teraflops, double that of the previous champ. BlueGeneL was designed for the United States' Stockpile Stewardship Program to help scientists understand the aging of nuclear weapons. From New Scientist:

"...BlueGene/L may come to dominate the Top500 list for some time. It has been designed to include an unprecedented number of different processing units - 65,536 in all - and is expected to reach a staggering 360 teraflops when completed."

The Top500 Supercomputer Sites rankings are based on the LINPACK Benchmark that tests "the performance of a dedicated system in solving a dense system of linear equations." Link