<p>These machines are just what their name implies: thousands of processors operating in parallel, performing quadrillions of operations each second on unimaginable volumes of data.</p><p>Scientists are using these electronic beasts to solve some of humankind&#39;s thorniest problems. Machines like Lawrence Livermore Lab&#39;s&nbsp;Sierra&nbsp;are calculating the blast radius of thermonuclear warheads and creating detailed models of the human heart. Oak Ridge Lab&#39;s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.olcf.ornl.gov/summit/">Summit</a>&nbsp;is being used to design better batteries and simulate supernovas. Argonne Lab&#39;s forthcoming&nbsp;<a target="_self" href="https://www.hpe.com/content/hpe/country/us/en/insights/articles/2020/10/here-comes-exascale-and-its-about-to-change-everything.html">exascale</a>&nbsp;system&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.alcf.anl.gov/aurora">Aurora</a>&nbsp;may allow researchers to map the human brain and harness nuclear fusion.</p>