A billion billion computer operations per second

A billion billion, i.e. 10¹⁸ computer operations per second is the level of performance that the next generation of supercomputers should be able to deliver. However, programming such supercomputers is a challenge. Since October 2015, the European Commission is funding "ExaHyPE", an international project coordinated at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), which seeks to establish the algorithmic foundations for exascale supercomputers in the next four years. The aim is to develop novel software, initially for simulations in geophysics and astrophysics, which will be published as open-source software for further use. Computer-based simulations drive progress in the field of science. In addition to theory and experiments, simulations have long since been crucial for acquiring knowledge and insight. Supercomputers allow for the computation of increasingly complex and precise models. The EU ExaHyPE ("An Exascale Hyperbolic PDE Engine") project has an interdisciplinary team of researchers from seven institutions in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Russia, and integrates well into Europe's strategy for developing an exascale-class supercomputer by 2020. In order to be able to leverage the incredible processing power of exascale systems for correspondingly comprehensive simulation tasks, the entire supercomputing infrastructure, including the software, must be prepared for such systems. Powerful, flexible and energy-efficient