# A5A

> American supercomputer

**Wikidata**: [Q133281872](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133281872)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/a5a

## Summary
A5A is an American supercomputer manufactured by Lenovo and operational since 2021. It utilizes Intel Xeon Gold processors and achieves a performance of 3.13 petaflops (Rmax). As of November 2024, the system was ranked 328th on the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful non-distributed computer systems.

## Key Facts
*   **Classification:** American supercomputer (Instance of: Supercomputer).
*   **Manufacturer:** Lenovo, a Chinese multinational technology company.
*   **Inception:** 2021.
*   **Processor:** Intel Xeon Gold (specifically Xeon Gold 6252 24C 2.1GHz).
*   **Cores:** 92,160 processor cores.
*   **Performance:** Rmax of 3.13 petaflops; Rpeak of 6.19 petaflops; Nmax of 4,957,440.
*   **Operating System:** Linux.
*   **Interconnect:** 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet.
*   **TOP500 Ranking:** Ranked #328 in November 2024; peaked within the TOP500 at #153 in November 2021.

## FAQs
### Q: What type of processor does the A5A supercomputer use?
A: The A5A uses Intel Xeon Gold processors, specifically the Xeon Gold 6252 24C model running at 2.1GHz.

### Q: Who manufactured the A5A supercomputer?
A: The A5A was manufactured by Lenovo, a multinational technology company headquartered in Beijing, China.

### Q: How does A5A rank in terms of performance?
A: According to the TOP500 list, A5A achieved its highest rank of 153 in November 2021. By November 2024, its ranking had shifted to 328.

## Why It Matters
The A5A represents a significant deployment of high-performance computing (HPC) resources within the United States, contributing to the nation's computational infrastructure. Manufactured by Lenovo, it highlights the ongoing collaboration between American facilities and global hardware providers in building top-tier supercomputing systems. With over 92,000 cores and a performance exceeding 3 petaflops, A5A provides the raw processing power necessary for complex scientific modeling, data analysis, and advanced research tasks that require massive parallel processing capabilities.

The system's trajectory on the TOP500 list—ranking 153rd upon its debut in late 2021 and settling at 328th by late 2024—serves as a metric of the rapid pace of hardware evolution in the supercomputing sector. While the hardware remains constant, the relative standing of the A5A illustrates the aggressive global competition and frequent turnover among the world's fastest computers. Its reliance on standard high-performance components like Intel Xeon Gold processors and Gigabit Ethernet makes it a representative example of modern, scalable cluster architecture used in research and industry.

## Notable For
*   **Scale:** Features a substantial core count of 92,160, enabling high-throughput parallel computing.
*   **Performance Benchmark:** Achieved an Rmax score of 3.13 petaflops, placing it firmly in the petaflop-scale category of supercomputers.
*   **Architecture:** Built on the Lenovo ThinkSystem C0366 platform.
*   **Global Standing:** Maintained a presence on the prestigious TOP500 list for three consecutive years (2021–2024).

## Body

### Hardware Specifications
The A5A supercomputer is built around a massively parallel architecture featuring **92,160 processor cores**. The system utilizes **Intel Xeon Gold** processors, specifically the **Xeon Gold 6252 24C** model operating at a frequency of **2.1GHz**.

The system is housed within a **Lenovo ThinkSystem C0366** chassis. Data transfer and interconnectivity are managed via high-speed networking buses, specifically **40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet**.

### Performance Metrics
The computational power of A5A is measured by the LINPACK benchmark, where it recorded the following metrics:
*   **Rmax (Maximal LINPACK performance):** 3.13 petaflops.
*   **Rpeak (Theoretical peak performance):** 6.19 petaflops.
*   **Nmax (Problem size for Rmax):** 4,957,440.

### Operating System
A5A operates on **Linux**, the standard operating system family for high-performance computing clusters. Linux was originally released in 1991 and is widely utilized in the supercomputing industry for its stability and open-source flexibility.

### TOP500 Ranking History
The A5A has been tracked on the TOP500 list, which ranks the world's most powerful non-distributed computer systems, since 2021. Its ranking has shifted over time due to the installation of newer, faster systems globally:

*   **November 2021:** Ranked 153
*   **June 2022:** Ranked 168
*   **November 2022:** Ranked 191
*   **June 2023:** Ranked 220
*   **November 2023:** Ranked 256
*   **June 2024:** Ranked 289
*   **November 2024:** Ranked 328

## References

1. [TOP500](https://www.top500.org/system/179997/)