TIANHE beat IBM - China develops fastest supercomputer

Chinese scientists have once again built the world''s fastest supercomputer, capable of performing 33.86 quadrillion operations per second, surpassing the US Titan supercomputer.

Chinese scientists have once again built the world''s fastest supercomputer, capable of performing 33.86 quadrillion operations per second, surpassing the US Titan supercomputer.

The Tianhe-2, or Milkyway-2, has a peak performance speed of 54.9 quadrillion operations per second, according to the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), which built the computer.

This is the second time China has made it to the first place in the Top 500 list of the world''s most powerful supercomputers.

Tianhe-2''s predecessor, Tianhe-1A, was the world''s fastest supercomputer from November 2010 to June 2011, when it was surpassed by Japan''s K computer.

Matching home-grown Feiteng-1500 CPUs as well as Intel Xeon and Xeon Phi processors, Tianhe-2 was almost twice as fast as the second computer, Titan, which is capable of running at 17.6 quadrillion operations per second.

Sequoia, another US-developed supercomputer, ranked third in the list, followed by Japan''s K computer.

Costing 100 million US dollars, Tianhe-2 is expected to be operational at the supercomputer center in Guangzhou City in south China''s Guangdong Province later this year. "Ranking is not so important," said Li Nan, spokesman of the Tianhe-2 project.

We are producing supercomputers with a fundamental purpose of providing a driving force for the construction of an innovation-oriented country and solutions to sciences that concern the future development of human beings.

Experts believed Tianhe-2 demonstrates that China has been developing its own chip technology, which will ensure that the country plays an important role in the world''s high-performance computing (HPC).

Jack Dongarra, one of the editors of Top 500, said he was impressed with Tianhe-2''s interconnect, operating system and software which are mainly Chinese. "The HPC development has enhanced China''s competitiveness," he said.

Rajeeb Hazra, Intel''s vice president, said the production of Tianhe-2 will not only benefit Chinese sciences and industries, but also provide sound infrastructure for the growing global demands of big data processing.

The NUDT said it would produce a supercomputer performing 100 quadrillion operations per second by 2015 and further raise it by 10 times around 2020.

the Nintendo Wii U software

Members of the media watch a presentation from a riser at the Nintendo Wii U software showcase during the E3 game show in Los Angeles.

Fans enjoy the Nintendo Super Mario 3D Worlds display at the E3 Gaming and Technology Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 11, 2013.

Nintendo of America President and Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aime speaks during the Wii U Software Showcase at E3 in Los Angeles, California.

Shigeru Miyamoto, general producer of the video game Pimkin 3 for Wii U, kicks off Nintendo's showcase of the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California on June 11, 2013.

A model dressed as Bayonetta, a video game character from the 'Bayonetta 2,' poses for photos at the Nintendo booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

A fan tries out a Nintendo DS at the E3 Gaming and Technology Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 11, 2013.

Fans enjoy the Nintendo Mariokart 8 display at the E3 Gaming and Technology Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California on June 11, 2013.

Gamers check out the new Nintendo video games after Nintendo's news conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on June 11, 2013.

Nintendo video game hardware and player are on dislay at the Nintendo booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on June 11, 2013.

A fan tries out a Nintendo DS at the E3 Gaming and Technology Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 11, 2013.

HUAWEI Smartphone - World's slimmest smartphone unveiled

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei launched what it said was the world's thinnest smartphone, which it hopes will take on high-end rivals like Apple and Samsung in the global market.

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei launched what it said was the world's thinnest smartphone, which it hopes will take on high-end rivals like Apple and Samsung in the global market.

Bidding to extend its market reach outside China, Huawei chose London to unveil its Ascend P6, which is just 6.18mm thick -- the June 18 launch date reflecting the dimensions.

"Our theme for this product is elegance with an edge," Richard Yu, the chief executive of Huawei's consumer business group, told an audience of industry figures and journalists at the Roundhouse.

The north London venue is famous for small-scale concerts and has previously hosted rock icons such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

The phone will be available in 19 countries by the end of July, including China, France, Germany and Italy, with more than 100 others to follow.

Nick Woodley, lead designer from the firm's London design centre, said the phone was inspired by sheets of paper.

It weighs 120gram, has a 4.7-inch (119.5mm) touchscreen and boasts two cameras -- an 8MP camera on the back and a 5MP camera on the front.

Getting rid of the regular slew of camera scene settings, it has auto scene recognition and an automatic face enhancement tool which allows users to boost their "beauty level" by factors of one to 10.

The unveiling of the phone in London was a stand-alone event, unlike previous launches at trade shows.

Starting as a provider of telecom network equipment, Huawei has sought to make inroads into mobile devices by selling smartphones under its own brand over the past three years.

The company, founded by a former engineer in the Chinese army, has also found controversy abroad for its traditional line of business.

Huawei has a reputation for secrecy which the company has tried to shed after US claims it was a security threat.

In China's highly competitive smartphone segment, Huawei held a 10.1 percent share in the first quarter of this year, according to consultancy Analysys International.