The computer, known as The Machine, is a custom-built device made for the era of big data.
HPE said it has created the world’s largest single-memory computer. The R&D program is the largest in the history of HPE, the former enterprise division of HP that split apart from the consumer-focused division.
If the project works, it could be transformative for society. But it is no small effort, as it could require a whole new kind of software.
“The secrets to the next great scientific breakthrough, industry-changing innovation, or life-altering technology hide in plain sight behind the mountains of data we create every day,” said Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, in a statement. “To realize this promise, we can’t rely on the technologies of the past, we need a computer built for the Big Data era.”
The prototype unveiled today contains 160 terabytes (TB) of memory, capable of simultaneously working with the data held in every book in the Library of Congress five times over — or approximately 160 million books. It has never been possible to hold and manipulate whole data sets of this size in a single-memory system, and this is just a glimpse of the immense potential of Memory-Driven Computing, HPE said.
