NASA Launches New Supercomputer Athena
NASA has launched its most powerful and efficient supercomputer named Athena at the Ames Research Center in California. Athena is designed to support a wide range of science and space exploration needs and expands the agency’s high-end computing capability.
Performance and Capability
The new system delivers over 20 petaflops of peak performance, meaning it can perform more than 20 quadrillion calculations per second. This makes Athena more powerful than NASA’s previous supercomputers and allows researchers to run complex simulations and large-scale data analysis more quickly and efficiently.
Support for Missions and Research
Athena will be used to accelerate research in areas including rocket launch simulations, aeronautics design and artificial intelligence. Its speed and efficiency help scientists and engineers process massive datasets needed for mission planning, modelling future spacecraft and training advanced AI models.
Technology and Use
The supercomputer is housed at NASA’s Modular Supercomputing Facility and is available to NASA researchers and external partners supporting NASA missions. By combining raw computing power with improved energy efficiency, Athena is expected to be a key tool for future projects.
