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Stephen Chen

China has shut down one of its fastest supercomputers used in the nation’s space programme after it was damaged in Wednesday night’s deadly blasts in the northeastern Chinese port of Tianjin .
Massive explosions at a warehouse for dangerous materials in the city killed many people, including firemen called out to tackle the ensuing blazes, while hundreds of other people were also injured.
Watch: Huge explosions rock Tianjin in northeast China

Shockwaves generated by the blasts shattered glass windows and also caused the ceiling to collapse in parts of the National Supercomputing Centre, which is home to the Tianhe-1 supercomputer, Xinhua news agency reported.
The explosions had caused the centre to shake violently and created visible cracks on external walls, other mainland media reported.
The building was situated only a few kilometres away from the site of the blasts, staff said.
Tianhe-1 weighs 150 tonnes and covers an area of 1,000 square metres.
Despite suffering damage, the operation of Tianhe-1 had remained unaffected after the blast, but it was shut down by staff at the centre because of safety concerns, Xinhua said.
The centre’s website was also shut down after the blasts, while no one at the centre was available to answering the phones.
The Tianhe-1, built by the National University of Defence Technology, in Hunan province, has been used mainly for China’s space programmes.
It was the fastest computer in the world – ranked first on the list of the Top 500 supercomputers – from October 2010 until June 2011.
The supercomputing centre lies in the city’s Binhai New Area, a district that is also home to the manufacturing and assembly plant of China’s super-sized space rockets. The government has built a number of hi-tech facilities close to the rocket construction centre.
The rocket production centre, situated further away from the site of the blasts, was not badly affected.
“We are nearly 20km away,” an employee at the rocket production centre’s hydromatic equipment plant told the South China Morning Post. “We are all concerned about the explosions, but production goes on.”
However, it remains unclear whether the blasts will affect the pace of China’s space expansion plans.
The rockets were due to be loaded onto ships at Tianjin harbour and later launched at the new space centre in Wenchang, in Hainan province next year.
The rockets being built in Tianjin will be the largest that China has ever built. They will deliver all the components for the construction of China’s first space station, which is due to be built in about 2022.
 


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China's Tianhe-1 supercomputer weighs 150 tonnes and covers an area of 1,000 square metres. Photo: Xinhua

IN PICTURES: Huge explosions in Tianjin leave dozens dead, injured

Smoke rises next to a damaged building at the site of the explosions. Photo: Reuters


Firefighters run as smoke rises at the site of the explosions at the Binhai. Photo: Reuters

A view of smoke billowing from the site of a large explosion is seen through a hole of a damaged building. Photo: EPA

A firefighter puts out flames in a container at the site of the explosion. Photo: Xinhua

Firefighters put out flames in a container at the site of the explosion. Photo: Xinhua

A man walking out of his apartment block with some belongings after a series of explosions at a chemical warehouse. Photo: AFP

Residents lighting candles outside a temporary shelter to pray for the victims after a series of explosions at a chemical warehouse. Photo: AFP

Huge explosions at a warehouse for dangerous materials in the northeastern Chinese port of Tianjin killed at least 50 people, including 12 firefighters, and injured hundreds of others. Photo: ImagineChina


Trucks pass a bridge near the explosion site in the Binhai New Area in north China's Tianjin municipality. Photo: Xinhua

Vehicles were in flames after the blasts. Photo: Reuters

Smoke and fire are seen from far away. Photo: Xinhua

Flames rise next to damaged buildings at the site of an explosion. Photo: AFP

A witness shows a camera photo of the initial moments after the blast. Photo: Xinhua

A warehouse is reduced to an inferno. Photo: AFP

An aerial view of the blast scene in Tianjin. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Firefighters walk past rows of charred cars near the site of the explosions in Tianjin. Photo: AFP

Smoke billows from the mangled remains of the warehouse. Photo: AFP

An injured man is placed in a wheelchair after receiving treatment at the Gangkou hospital in Tianjin. Photo: AFP

A man looks at pillars of smoke from the accident site. Photo: AFP

Firemen rest after battling the blaze for hours and recovering bodies, which emergency teams had yet to transport to the proper facilities. Photo: EPA

An ambulance sends injured people to a hospital. Photo: Xinhua

A handout picture from Weibo shows the interior of an office after the blast in Tianjin. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A handout picture from Weibo shows the interior of a house after the blast in Tianjin. Photo: SCMP Pictures

People seek refuge in temporary tents for those who escaped harm. Photo: Reuters

Debris seen at the accident scene. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Debris and flames seen at the accident scene. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Damaged vehicles are seen under bridges close to the site of the explosions at Binhai new district, Tianjin. Photo: Reuters

Armed police don protective masks as they prepare to tackle the blaze. Photo: PLA Daily

An aerial view shows the explosion site in Tianjin. Photo: People's Daily

Fires after massive warehouse blasts in the northern Chinese port of Tianjin are now "under initial control". Photo: People's Daily

An injuredman  in the explosion receives treatment in Tianjin Taida Hospital in Tianjin. Photo: Xinhua

A satellite photo taken by the Japan Meteorological Agency  shows a white spot on the city of Tianjin in China. Photo: AFP

Firefighters briefly pulled out of site of Tianjin warehouse blasts after 12 confirmed killed tackling blaze

Firefighters in Tianjin walk past a victim of last night's explosions. Photo: EPA

‘Is this a nuclear bomb?’: drone captures apocalyptic scenes in Tianjin, China, after industrial explosions

Taking on the look of a war zone or apocalyptic film, the gutted remains of an industrial area in Tianjin, China. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Fires were still burning after dawn. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Testament to the devastation, eyewitnesses compared the strength of the blasts to military bombs. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Shell-shocked residents posted photos of their homes, with unhinged doors and other damage. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

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The Tianhe-1,  the world’s fastest supercomputer in 2010, still remains operational, but has been switched off over safety concerns, Xinhua reports


The Tianhe-1,  the world’s fastest supercomputer in 2010, still remains operational, but has been switched off over safety concerns, Xinhua reports
