How much does a supercomputer cost?
This will naturally vary with the amount of processing power and data storage requirements. For just the computer hardware system the cost may start at $250,000. Other costs need to be added that include: • Equipment for maintaining temperature and room conditions. • Power, power conditioning and data communication equipment. • Fire protection equipment. • Providing adequate room for supercomputers, above supporting equipment, and support staff and documentation. When all this has been calculated, the purchaser must consider the particular software, for which the system will be applied, which often costs more than the hardware to run it. There are also the continued costs for IT personnel to operate and use the system and IT staff to provide 24×7 support. Supercomputers consume considerable power, so that there is a hefty annual energy cost to consider as well. When all these costs are taken into consideration it is not unusual for even a very basic supercomputer system to have a total
