Computer performance by orders of magnitude


This list compares various amounts of computing power in instructions per second organized by order of magnitude in FLOPS.
Scientific E notation index: [|2] | [|3] | [|6] | [|9] | [|12] | [|15] | [|18] | [|21] | [|24] | >24


Milliscale computing (10−3)

  • 2×10−3: average human multiplication of two 10-digit numbers using pen and paper without aids

Deciscale computing (10−1)

  • 1×10−1: multiplication of two 10-digit numbers by a 1940s electromechanical desk calculator
  • 3×10−1: multiplication on Zuse Z3 and Z4, first programmable digital computers, 1941 and 1945 respectively
  • 5×10−1: computing power of the average human mental calculation for multiplication using pen and paper

Scale computing (100)

  • 1.2 OP/S: addition on Z3, 1941, and multiplication on Bell Model V, 1946
  • 2.4 OP/S: addition on Z4, 1945

Decascale computing (101)

Hectoscale computing (102)

Kiloscale computing (103)

Megascale computing (106)

  • 1×106: i486 microprocessor at 25 MHz using Linpack, 1989
  • 1.2×106: IBM 7030 "Stretch" transistorized supercomputer, 1961
  • 3×106: computing power of the 25 MHz Motorola 68040 using Linpack, 1990
  • 5×106: CDC 6600, first commercially successful supercomputer, 1964
  • 11×106: Intel i386 microprocessor at 33 MHz, 1985
  • 14×106: CDC 7600 supercomputer, 1967
  • 86×106: Cray 1 supercomputer, 1978
  • 100×106: Pentium (i586) microprocessor, 1993
  • 400×106: Cray X-MP, 1982

Gigascale computing (109)

Terascale computing (1012)


Petascale computing (1015)


Exascale computing (1018)


Zettascale computing (1021)

  • 1×1021: Accurate global weather estimation on the scale of approximately 2 weeks. Assuming Moore's law remains applicable, such systems may be feasible around 2035.
A zettascale computer system could generate more single floating point data in one second than was stored by any digital means on Earth in the first quarter of 2011.

Beyond zettascale computing (>1021)

  • 1×1024: Yottascale computing - the next possible generation of supercomputers that may come after zettascale generation.
  • 1.12×1036: Estimated computational power of a Matrioshka brain, assuming 1.87×1026 watt power produced by solar panels and 6 GFLOPS/watt efficiency.
  • 7.44×1036: Approximate estimated computational power necessary for real-time single human cell simulation with ab initio accuracy.
  • 4×1048: Estimated computational power of a Matrioshka brain whose power source is the Sun, the outermost layer operates at 10 kelvins, and the constituent parts operate at or near the Landauer limit and draws power at the efficiency of a Carnot engine
  • 5×1058: Estimated power of a galaxy equivalent in luminosity to the Milky Way converted into Matrioshka brains.