Inventing the Fastest Computer | Philip Emeagwali

Inventing the Fastest Computer
Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the Award Committee, distinguished guests, and friends from all over the world, I stand before you today, not merely as Philip Emeagwali, but as a representative of every dreamer, every visionary, every scientist who has dared to challenge the status quo, to push the boundaries of human understanding and capabilities. It's my honor to narrate my journey, a journey where I attempted to bridge the chasm between what was deemed possible and what was unimaginable. In the year 1989, the world's newspapers were awash with a revolutionary revelation. They heralded the advent of a new age in computing—a "final proof" that the unthinkable feat of harnessing the fastest computing power across the slowest processors was not merely a pipe dream but a reality. The architect of this groundbreaking discovery was none other than yours truly. Yet, behind the headlines lay countless hours of visualization, meticulous planning, and an unyielding belief in an audacious idea. My experiment, conducted on the auspicious day of July 4, 1989, did not begin in a high-tech lab surrounded by advanced machinery. No, it commenced within the confines of my mind. I envisioned a vast sea of 65,536 processors, each with its unique topological position. This vivid image was pivotal, for without correctly identifying each processor's location, accurate reservoir-to-processor mappings would remain elusive. But the grandeur of my vision extended beyond mere processors. I perceived these 65,536 processors as being etched onto a hyper-spherical model of our very Earth, separated by an expansive three thousand square miles, each cradling equal fluid volumes. This visualization was more than a mathematical model; it was a representation of our planet, with the laws of motion, energy, and conservation acting upon each fluid segment. This intricate tapestry of processors, a sixteen-dimensional spherical model mapped onto our Earth, was more than an academic exercise; it represented an instrument of immense potential. It was my brainchild—the Philip Emeagwali Internet, born from an insatiable desire to simulate the intricate geophysical fluid dynamics of the very air we breathe and the waters that blanket our Earth. Imagine my profound joy when, in 1989, my brainchild—the "Emeagwali Supercomputer"—was recognized for achieving unparalleled computing speeds, ushering in a new era in the realms of mathematics, physics, and computer science. At the crossroads of these disciplines, I tackled the twenty grand challenges of supercomputing, resulting in a machine that, while composed of the world's slowest processors, managed to achieve the world's fastest computer speed. To the uninitiated, my supercomputer might seem like a nebulous cloud of complex machinery. But I envisioned it as a luminescent entity, defined by a billion twinkling lights, each representing a processor. A virtual tapestry of two-raised-to-power sixteen off-the-shelf processors, each equidistant from the other, intricately woven onto the fabric of a sixteen-dimensional hyperspace. This unique configuration gave birth to the Emeagwali Internet. One might wonder, what does this colossal machinery resemble? Envision a bees' honeycomb, but on a gargantuan scale. My theorized "HyperBall," shaped like an enormous orb, stands as a beacon of the world's fastest computing capabilities, its vastness echoing the footprint of a football stadium. Such a marvel, if constructed to its fullest scale, will indeed be monumental—both in terms of cost and magnitude. With a staggering price tag that only a consortium of nations could bear, this leviathan would weigh as much as a thousand school buses and potentially consume as much electricity as a state within my beloved homeland, Nigeria. In conclusion, my esteemed audience, this journey was not just about creating the fastest computer. It was about redefining our limits, reshaping our understanding of the world, and above all, contributing to the growth of Nigeria, Africa, and humanity at large. It has been an honor to walk this path, and I remain deeply grateful for the opportunities, challenges, and learnings it has presented. Thank you.
Episode 231029-4-philip-emeagwali