2. Earth Simulator (Japan) – $500 million
Developed by the Japanese government back in 1997, the Earth Simulator cost them around $500 million in today’s money.
The supercomputer was established by a highly parallel vector supercomputer system which was used to run global climate models, and to evaluate the effects of global warming and problems in solid earth geophysics.
Completed in 2002, the machine was developed for Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency, the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, and the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center.
From 2002 to 2004, Earth Simulator was the fastest supercomputer, but because of the technology’s developments it doesn’t stand a chance to the speed of modern supercomputers.
The Earth Simulator System has several features to help protect the computer from earthquakes and lightning.
