Space supercomputer stopped working because of the Tianjin explosion

Tianhe 1, China's fastest supercomputer in 2010, was forced to shut down for safety reasons, following the impact of the terrifying explosion on Wednesday night in Tianjin.

Thien Ha 1 is affected by the Tianjin explosion

According to SCMP, this is one of the Chinese supercomputers used in the national space program. The building where the supercomputer was located was slightly damaged after the deadly explosion on August 12 in the port city of Tianjin, northeastern China.

Picture 1 of Space supercomputer stopped working because of the Tianjin explosion
Thien Ha 1 weighs 150 tons, located in a room of 1,000 m2.(Photo: Xinhua)

The explosion occurred in a warehouse containing many dangerous materials, killing 50 people and injuring hundreds, including many firefighters.

Xinhua said, the impact from the explosion spread around, making some areas in the National Supercomputing Center nearby a few kilometers, broken glass doors and collapsed. The walls also have many deep cracks.

Although the building was damaged, Thien Ha 1 computer was unharmed. However, it must cease operation for safety reasons. The building was closed after the explosion, there was no customer service.

Thien Ha 1 is a super computer built by National Defense Technology University, Hunan Province. It is used for Chinese space development programs. From October 2010 to June 2011, Thien Ha 1 kept the number one position in the list of 500 fastest supercomputers in the world.

Supercomputing Center is located in Tianjin New Technology Park of Tianjin City. This is where the Chinese rocket rocket manufacturing and assembly plants are located. The government also built many high-tech facilities near the rocket development center. The center is far away from the epicenter of the explosion, so there is no damage.

"We are nearly 20 km from the explosion, " said the rocket manufacturing center employee. "We are all concerned about the impact of the explosion, but continue to produce."

SCMP said that it is not clear whether the explosion will affect the speed of China's space development plan. The missiles produced here will be taken to Tianjin port and transported by sea to the New Space Center in Wenchang, Hainan Province, next year.

These are the largest Chinese rockets ever produced. It will carry the construction materials of the country's first space station in space - scheduled to begin construction in 2022.