International Business Machines Inc. (IBM) has announced plans to build the worlds fastest super-computer for a United States government laboratory.

The machine code-named Roadrunner, is expected to be four times faster than the worlds current fastest super-computer, and will be developed for the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

The laboratory is owned by the US Department of Energy (DOE). Eventually the machine could be used for a program that ensures the US nuclear weapons stockpile remains safe and reliable, the DOE said in a statement. IBM plans to eventually use the system to tackle problems in science and finnance as well.

This new supercomputer demonstrates a commitment to achieve a major advance in technological capability that will help enable scientists and businesses solve the most challenging problems, said Bill Zeitler, senior vice president, IBM Systems and Technology Group

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California currently houses the worlds fastest super-computer, another IBM machine, which can perform 280 trillion calculations per second, or 280 teraflops. The Roadrunner, on the other hand, is expected to sustain 1 quadrillion operations per second, or a petaflop.

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