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A new supercomputer in China has taken the top spot as the world’s fastest publicly ranked system.

The LineShine computer, located in Shenzhen, debuted at No. 1 on the latest TOP500 ranking. It achieved 2.198 exaflops, meaning it can perform more than 2 quintillion calculations per second.

This marks the first time since 2017 that a Chinese supercomputer has topped the list.

Supercomputers matter because they can support advanced research, climate modeling, national security work, energy analysis, medicine, engineering, and artificial intelligence development.

LineShine is also notable for running entirely on conventional computer chips rather than the graphics processors often used for AI workloads.

The ranking offers a snapshot of how countries continue to compete in computing power, technological infrastructure, energy use, and innovation.

Chinese supercomputer displaces US machines as world's fastest A supercomputer in China now outranks its U.S. counterparts as the world’s most powerful, marking the first time since 2017 that a Chinese computer has topped a list sometimes viewed as a measure of a nation’s technological prowess