China has overtaken the United States in the race for the world’s fastest and most powerful supercomputer, ending nearly a decade of American dominance at the top of the rankings.
What makes the achievement particularly significant is that China accomplished it using entirely domestically developed technology, without relying on foreign processors. The milestone highlights Beijing’s growing capabilities in advanced computing and its push to reduce dependence on overseas technology while challenging the US in high-performance computing.
Lineshine ranked world’s No. 1 supercomputer
The supercomputer, named Lineshine, has been ranked the world’s fastest in the latest TOP500 list, which was released on Monday during the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) in Hamburg, Germany.
This marks the first time since 2017 that a Chinese supercomputer has secured the top position in the prestigious global ranking.
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The TOP500 list has been published twice every year since 1993 and is widely regarded as the unofficial global benchmark for measuring supercomputing performance.
Lineshine surpasses America’s El Capitan
Lineshine replaced the US supercomputer El Capitan, which previously held the top spot. The Chinese system is installed in the southern city of Shenzhen and has achieved a sustained performance of 2.2 exaflops.
An exaflop is a unit used to measure computing speed and represents the ability of a computer to perform one quintillion (one billion billion) calculations per second.
Built entirely with Chinese processors
One of the biggest highlights of Lineshine is that it has been built entirely using processors designed and developed in China. Unlike many of the world’s leading supercomputers, it does not rely on American-made chips.
The achievement reflects China’s rapid progress in developing indigenous semiconductor and computing technologies amid ongoing efforts to strengthen technological self-reliance.
US still dominates the top rankings
Despite losing the top position, the United States continues to maintain a strong presence in global supercomputing. Three of the top four systems in the latest TOP500 rankings are located in the US.
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El Capitan, housed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, now ranks second.
Meanwhile, Germany’s JUPITER Booster is the highest-ranked European system, securing the fifth position in the global rankings.
First published on: Jun 28, 2026 11:21 AM IST
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