E nabling
T echnologies and
A pplications


What Is A PetaFLOPS?

A petaFLOPS is a measure of computer performance equal to a million billion floating point operations per second, and is thousands of times more powerful than the world's largest massively parallel computer. To achieve petaFLOPS capability will involve the harnessing of innovative advanced technologies and new computing paradigms. P.E.T.A. is a web based resource which is to provide access to the broad array of research activities destined to play a role in achieving effective petaFLOPS computing. P.E.T.A. is sponsored by the NASA High Performance Computing and Communications Program Office to encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation in this domain.

What is a petabyte equivalent to?

Why Are We Interested?

The current Federal High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program is working towards achieving teraFLOPS computing. However, far-sighted individuals in government, academia and industry have realized that teraFLOPS-level computing systems will be inadequate to address many scientific and engineering problems that exist now, let alone applications that may, and most assuredly will, arise in the future. As a result, the high performance computing community is examining the feasibility of achieving petaFLOPS-level computing over a 20-year period.

What Are The Events That Led to PETA?

Major Disciplines Affected by PetaFLOPS Computing

(Below we will link highlights of archived research. The major disciplines involved are many and varied, and are exemplified but not limited to this list.)

Return to the P.E.T.A. Directory

Authorizing NASA Official: Bill Feiereisen, Program Manager, NASA HPCC Program
Senior Editor: Thomas Sterling

Curators: Michele O'Connell (Michele.OConnell@hq.nasa.gov), Lawrence Picha (Larry.Picha@hq.nasa.gov),

Revised: 21 AUGUST 96 (lpicha)