Japan plans to build the world’s first Zettascale AI supercomputer
Supercomputers are getting so powerful that the numbers involved are just insane, and this is no exception.
Key takeaways
- By comparison, each node of Fugaku, which was ranked fourth on the most recent Top500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, has a peak performance of 3.4 teraflops of FP64 performance.
- In total, Fugaku has an HPL (high-performance Linpack) benchmark score of 379.70 petaflops.
- Despite this caveat, if Japan is able to achieve this feat by its targeted date of 2030, the country will likely once again house the world’s fastest supercomputer.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2024) 'Japan plans to build the world’s first Zettascale AI supercomputer', 311 Institute, 7 October. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/japan-plans-to-build-the-worlds-first-zettascale-ai-supercomputer/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is planning to build a successor to the country’s Fugaku supercomputer, which it claims will be the world’s first Zettascale supercomputer.
However, it should be noted that the zettascale peak performance the supercomputer, dubbed Fugaku Next, is aiming to achieve relates to Artificial Intelligence (AI) performance, which is measured in FP8, or 8-bit precision calculations, compared to traditional compute performance which is measured in double-precision calculations, also known as FP64 – the industry standard for large systems. A system boasting 100 petaflops of FP64 performance is more powerful than a system that has achieved 100 petaflops of FP8 performance, for example.
Despite these technicalities, according to a planning document published by MEXT and first reported by Tom’s Hardware, should the supercomputer be built as planned, each node of the proposed system would have a peak performance of “several hundred” teraflops of FP64 performance.
By comparison, each node of Fugaku, which was ranked fourth on the most recent Top500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, has a peak performance of 3.4 teraflops of FP64 performance. In total, Fugaku has an HPL (high-performance Linpack) benchmark score of 379.70 petaflops.
Despite this caveat, if Japan is able to achieve this feat by its targeted date of 2030, the country will likely once again house the world’s fastest supercomputer.
According to a separate report from news outlet Nikkei, the ministry wants Japan’s RIKEN Center for Computational Science and Fujitsu to start developing the supercomputer next year. It plans to allocate $29.06 million for the first year of development, with government funding for the project expected to total more than $761m.
According to the document, the ministry also wants Fugaku Next to be built using Japanese technology, making Fujitsu the probable vendor in order to maintain software compatibility with RIKEN’s existing supercomputers. It also specified that the system should contain an advanced storage system capable of hosting both traditional and AI workloads.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Supercomputers are getting so powerful that the numbers involved are just insane, and this is no exception.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
What future do you need to see?
Choose one to get started on computing and the future of your organisation.
Sources and further reading
- reported by Tom’s Hardware tomshardware.com
- most recent Top500 list datacenterdynamics.com
- report from news outlet Nikke nikkei.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 7 October 2024. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2024). Japan plans to build the world’s first Zettascale AI supercomputer. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/japan-plans-to-build-the-worlds-first-zettascale-ai-supercomputer/
You are welcome to quote this article with credit and a link to the original.