City pupils would use 'supercomputer' for real world problems

INVERNESS youngsters have suggested a new "supercomputer" could be used to help find missing people, solving crime, seek cures for leukaemia, warn of natural disasters and helping them doing their homework.

These suggestions are among early ideas being sought for how the machine could be used — with money up for grabs for the best entries.

Scottish students have been asked for their views on what Fujitsu should do with its so-called ‘world’s fastest supercomputer’ the K Computer, in Japan.

It will give £1000 towards school equipment for the under-18s winner and a similar amount towards kick starting the career of the over-18s winner.

"We want to encourage as many young people as possible to put forward their ideas and be as creative and imaginative as possible," said Alastair Millar, the Inverness-based service delivery manager on Fujitsu’s £66 million contract to replace and upgrade Highland Council’s office and schools IT systems.

"As well as being stimulating educationally it could also be rewarding for the student or their school."

He explained the competition at an event in Eden Court, Inverness.

"At the Inverness event we had groups from schools coming up with imaginative uses of this super computer to solve real world issues," Mr Millar commented.

Other ideas have been submitted from people around the world on the internet and social networking sites.

Schools, colleges and universities have already signed up to www.mykindacrowd.com to participate.

Entries can take any form, from a written essay to a poem or song, or a painting to a Powerpoint presentation.

The company, who created the machine in partnership with the RIKEN research institute, boast it has speeds of more than four times that of its nearest competitor and can process large-scale advanced computations and generate simulations too complex for conventional computers to handle.