"Supercomputers weren't designed for things like Web searches, scheduling and database management, but with today's pricing and performance it makes good economic sense, " adds Jack Dongarra, a University of Tennessee professor and cocompiler of the Top 500 list.

FORBES: From nuclear bombs to net assets

"I don't know of another system that is going to be anywhere near the performance and the power of this machine" in China, said Jack Dongarra, a supercomputer expert on the Oak Ridge research staff who is a professor at the University of Tennessee and recently inspected the system in Tianjin last week.

WSJ: Chinese Supercomputer Likely to Prompt Unease in U.S.