Researchers at Columbia University and D.E. Shaw Research are developing a special-purpose supercomputer that can achieve a thousandfold increase in throughtput for complex molecular simulations.

The supercomputer can simulate biological processes that take place over a millisecond or longer, 1000 times longer than current molecular simulations (like those done on BlueGene/L), which may last less than a microsecond.

These more detailed simulations promise to advance science and drug development.

See also Incorporating Flexibility in Anton, a Specialized Machine for Molecular Dynamics simulation (PDF 850 KB)