TIME's Best Inventions of 2008

The Other 49 Best Inventions

10. The World's Fastest Computer

Article Tools
Print
Sphere
RSS

On May 26, at 3:30 in the morning, a $133 million supercomputer nicknamed Roadrunner broke the long-sought-after petaflop barrier: 1 quadrillion calculations per second. Built by IBM for Los Alamos National Laboratory, Roadrunner will be used primarily to simulate the effects of aging on nuclear weapons. Next up: the exaflop barrier.

View the full list for "TIME's Best Inventions of 2008"
Next: 11. Green Crude >>

Cast Your Vote

Gadget of the Year

Which gadget is most useful or influential? Browse the nominees and cast your vote.

Invention of the Year

The Retail DNA Test

Your genome used to be a closed book. Now a simple, affordable test can shed new light on everything from your intelligence to your biggest health risks. Say hello to your dna — if you dare

Video

The Best Inventions of the Year

Run, ride, swim, and sing through some of TIME Magazine's best inventions of the year

Shopping

Tech Buyer's Guide

Gear up with these gizmos for the home, office, playroom, and pocket. Batteries not included

Most Popular »

Full List »
  1. The State of Hillary: A Mixed Record on the Job
  2. Priests Spar Over What it Means to Be Catholic
  3. Are You Getting Scammed by Facebook Games?
  4. The Ft. Hood Hero: Who is Kimberly Munley?
  5. The Meaning of Manny Pacquiao
  6. Troubles for a Deal — and for Obama — in Honduras
  7. Indie Film Shakeout: There Will Be Blood
  8. Hunting for Tuna: The Environmental Peril Grows
  9. Is the Dollar Dying a Slow Death?
  10. The Quicksilver Mess
  1. Priests Spar Over What it Means to Be Catholic
  2. Are You Getting Scammed by Facebook Games?
  3. The State of Hillary: A Mixed Record on the Job
  4. To Help The Kids, Parents Go Back to School
  5. Indie Film Shakeout: There Will Be Blood
  6. Let's Bail Out the Pot Dealers!
  7. The Ft. Hood Hero: Who is Kimberly Munley?
  8. Hunting for Tuna: The Environmental Peril Grows
  9. The Meaning of Manny Pacquiao
  10. Is the Dollar Dying a Slow Death?